Prom. The one night a year we all look forward to. Girls buy beautiful, extravagant dresses and come up with new, intricate ways of doing their hair and make up. Boys clean up and put on very nice tuxedos. Parents chaperone and some students volunteer to help serve the attendees of the beautiful night. Students of almost every grade and from other school districts attended the event in one last “HooRah” before the seniors graduate and head into the world of adulthood.
Taking a new venture in hand, the juniors went to the Fredericktown R-1 school board and were given permission to have parents of the junior class be solely responsible for funding, organizing, and chaperoning the prom. This permission was given on a provisional basis to see how an off-site prom without FHS staff oversight might work. The only responsibility from the high school’s standpoint was to allow the sale of prom tickets at $40 each during the lunch hours.
The theme of prom this year was “The Great Gatsby,” recommended by the junior class. Once the theme of prom had been set in stone, the junior class and many parent volunteers began making headway in the extravagant decorations, transforming their chosen space, The Venue at Sawyers Landing, into a scene straight out of the book or movie. There were beautiful bits of white cloth carefully placed in the rafters. The decoration of giant letters spelling “PROM 2024” was definitely a favor as many students took countless photos in front of them. They also had a poker table many students participated in. During the event, you could see many different styles of dresses on the dance floor, along with a smile spreading ear to ear on each one the student’s faces.
As the night came to an end, you could see most of the girls had given up on their fancy footwear to leave barefoot or wearing slides of some sort. Boys had lost a layer of their tuxes and resorted to wearing their ties and button-up shirts. You could see many smiles along with a few tears shed from the graduating class as this is their last school dance. Once the venue was empty, you could walk in and see all the fun that happened that night. All the memories made. Making prom of 2024 a night none of us will ever forget.
For more info on prom and to see who won king and queen, see Keeley Walker’s article titled “Feeling So Gatsby.”
