As the school year winds down, juniors and seniors anxiously wait as the 2024 prom approaches. The junior-senior prom will be hosted this year at the The Royal Sonesta hotel in Cambridge on May 18, starting at 7pm. The theme of the dance will be Starry Night.
Prom is one of the most anticipated traditions for high school students, and many rush to find a prom date or otherwise prepare for the occasion. English teacher and faculty advisor Henry Moon believes that the event deserves its anticipation.
“Reactions to prom have generally been positive. I think students will be most excited by having a chance to go into [Cambridge] while all dressed up,” Moon said. “Prom is one of the most celebrated events of people’s high school careers; it’s difficult to live up to how much it’s built up in the media and in town, so kids will be excited to make this as special and as memorable an event as possible.”
Junior Spencer Dobson, who was invited to last year’s prom, thought last year’s event lived up to his expectations.
“It was really fun last year. The food was better than I expected, and it was worth the hype,” Dobson said. “There were a bunch of gift baskets that were really cool.”
In regards to the theme, the class officers, parent advisors, and faculty advisors sent out multiple requests for prom theme suggestions to the class through Instagram and email. These requests brought out a few suggestions in addition to those that the leadership team already had, so the advisors limited the options to their top three choices and then turned it over to the class for a final vote.
“I remember having to choose from the themes: Into the Forest, City Lights, and Starry Night. [Students] voted for Starry Night, and it had lots of support from the parents,” junior Andreas Gavris said. “ I think it’s going to be an interesting theme.”
The music is a large part of prom, and the committee spent a lot of time considering the best way to handle it.
“When selecting the DJ, we started by seeking recommendations from a wide network of people,” junior Angie Kakabeeke, one of the heads of the Prom Committee, said. “After carefully considering feedback, pricing, and availability, we opted for the DJ who not only offered reasonable rates but also promised an enjoyable experience.”
A large part of the preparation for prom is the process of finding a date, if one would prefer not to go alone.
“I think there is a lot of hype around prom, and it was a fun time to see the boys do their promposals,” senior Chloe Schiller, who attended prom last year, said.
When choosing a prom date, many students realize the importance of choosing someone they’d enjoy being with.
“I wanted to go with someone who I knew I would have a lot of fun with,” junior Alex Cross said. “I just knew I’d have a lot of fun with my prom date; she’s one of my very good friends.”
Promposals generally require some creativity, and that includes preparing a poster with unique and clever wording.
“For my promposal, I researched a lot of ideas. I wanted to do something fun and when I saw an idea about nighttime, I wanted to do a play on that because of this year’s prom theme,” Cross said. “So I made a promposal with a telescope and just created a sentence that worked: ‘Prom would be stellar with you. Will you stargaze with me?’”
With the amount of work already done to organize the prom, students are excited to see what the prom committee has in mind for the various aspects of prom.
“With all of the planning involved, I’m excited to see the type of food they provide us with,” junior Emma Darling said.
Fortunately, The Royal Sonesta hotel in Cambridge has a lot of experience hosting proms, and they were able to offer guidance on key elements like the food.
“Our venue has a predetermined prom menu crafted by the hotel’s culinary team,” Kakabeeke said. “We trust it will be delicious.”
Of course, with an event that has as much excitement as this one, rules must still be followed. Students will have to sign the WHS dance contract, and chaperones will be present throughout.
“We will be looking more for ‘pregaming’ and substance use during prom since we need to ensure people’s safety,” Moon said. “I can say with absolute certainty that no chaperone is looking to bust anyone or ruin prom for any student, but preserving student safety is a non-negotiable concern.”
Though most of the junior class will be taking members of their own grade to prom, members of other grades or schools may be ‘promposed’ to.
“It will be possible to take out-of-town guests to prom. That will especially be true for our class since boys significantly outnumber girls. Those guests will need to fill out some additional forms and also sign our dance contract,” Moon said.
This year’s seniors recommend the juniors take advantage of all the opportunities that their first prom has to offer, including hosting a gathering beforehand.
“It was a little bit stressful to plan everything out,” Schiller said. “[But] it was really fun to have a pre-prom with my friends and see everyone dressed up and take pictures.”