SCHOOLS

Excitement grows as prom nears

SRHS Senior Class ASB officers (from left) Amber Almond, Grady Dok and Alexandra Kotsos are responsible for planning the senior prom, which will take place at Parq Restaurant and Nightclub on June 1. (photo by Tracey LoVuolo)

Excitement grows as prom nears

As the school year rapidly winds down for seniors at Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS), emotions are mixed as they prepare to leave behind all that has been familiar to them throughout their adolescent lives. But with spirit week, prom, grad night and graduation approaching in the days and weeks ahead, the leading emotion for most of these students is excitement. Many seniors admit that prom is an event for which anticipation begins building as early as freshman year.

Hayley Lewellin is a senior who has attended SRHS since her freshman year.

“I don’t even know how to describe how excited you become after four years of waiting,” she said.

Given that many high schools make their prom open both to juniors and seniors, the fact that this event is a privilege reserved exclusively for seniors at SRHS creates a stronger sense of anticipation and appreciation, according to Lewellin.

This year’s prom, themed “Sleepless in the City,” will take place on Saturday, June 1, at Parq Restaurant and Nightclub in downtown San Diego. Grady Dok, senior class vice president, is one of three Associated Student Body (ASB) officers responsible for planning the prom.

“Our venue is very unique this year; it has a really powerful and fun vibe to it,” he said. “We put a lot of effort in to planning it and I think the senior class is really going to enjoy it.”

Amber Almond, senior class secretary, added that the planning team has tried to ensure that the options for entertainment at the event are diverse and enjoyable.

“There will be three separate areas at our venue: one primarily for dancing, another is going to have a lot more games and food where it’s more relaxed and quiet, and the third area will have a silent DJ and photo booths,” she said.

Promposals – the modern-day method by which students ask their dates to prom – continue to take place both on and off campus. While some choose to prompose with an elaborate, grand gesture in a public place, others opt for a more simple, sweet and private approach. Senior Katherine Rosen has observed that, in general, the more elaborate promposals typically take place between couples that have been dating for some time, where an affirmative response to the invitation is almost certain.

“In a previous year, someone made a huge sign and had his friends hold it up publicly in the quad,” Rosen said. “But most people might do informal things if either they are on the shy side, or not sure of the response.”

Shopping for the perfect dress is also a quintessential part of the prom experience for senior girls. Each year, the female students set up an Instagram account where they exchange notes about their shopping experiences, and also share photos of what they plan to wear in order to guard against showing up to the event wearing the same dress as a classmate.

For some, the dress shopping experience is one shared with friends. Others opt to make it a family affair. For Lewellin, it involved a little bit of both.

“I went shopping a couple times with my friends, even though I knew I wasn’t going to get my dress that day because it was months ago,” she said. “Then I went with my mom a couple weekends ago and the first dress that I tried on, I fell in love with. I know that doesn’t happen a lot. It fit perfectly and I just loved it.”

While senior prom will carry with it unique memories for each student, most simply hope that it will be a fun, lighthearted time, free from any potential stress that may surround their post-high school plans.

“I’m just hoping to have an overall positive experience where I don’t need to worry about school ending or college, and just have a good time with the people that I care about before we all go our separate ways,” Rosen said.

Event tickets may be purchased on campus through May 31 and cost $60 with ASB card, $65 without.