According to Sofia the First, “I’ve got the shoes, I’ve got the dress,” but can Marist juniors and seniors say the same? With Marist proms right around the corner, here’s the breakdown and need to know of these magical high school events.
The Junior Spring Dance is Saturday, April 25 at the Palos Country Club. Senior prom is May 8 at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. These nights of laughter and memories start at 7 p.m. with juniors ending at 10 p.m. and seniors at 11 p.m. Both include food followed by dancing.
While the dates and locations are set, personal logistics of prom are always the biggest choices floating around in everyone’s mind, including outfits, pictures, after-parties, the works. For attire, it’s all about where to find the perfect dress or tuxedo and what will be the best color. It’s a big decision and many take time to make the best choice.
“It’s a little bit nerve-wracking that I waited this long to get a prom dress. But I know that I’ll be able to find the right one when it’s time,” says senior Sarah Parker.
Then it comes to matching with dates, finding the right flowers, and scouting the picture-perfect place to capture the memory of the night.
Many think these details are the key to the perfect night. The fear of everything being just right and working out as planned is a huge concern.
The real key to prom is soaking in every second of high school’s final days. Prom is one of the last “hurrahs” of a student’s three or four years at Marist, so it’s important to take it all in.
“We all can just have fun and not have to be focusing on the future. We can be focused on the present and the past four years,” says senior Samantha Durbin.
All the talk of these magical nights begs the question, which is better: junior or senior prom? According to Parker, there is no doubt about the answer.
“Senior prom, absolutely. I am extremely excited to be at the Science and Industry Museum, because all of the seniors in the past had a lot of good experiences there, and they seemed to love the night, so it kind of built up the excitement for it,” Parker says.
When all is said and done, many students don’t shy away when it comes to continuing the fun with their friends even when “Closing Time” by Semisonic plays on the loud speakers. Many conclude their night with food, an activity, or a party. Some also visit their lake houses or vacation homes. Regardless of where they go, they want to keep the night alive.
“Prom is only a little bit part of the night, and us being young and teenagers, I feel like people have the mentality of why not go have more fun?” Durbin says.
Prom is the perfect way to forget about the stress of the end of the year and just be happy and present in the moment.
“You get to be in there after hours and you get to listen to fun music and just dance in fun dresses with your friends,” Parker says.
