Nathan Whitlow displays a possible prom theme during last week’s committee meeting.
MEGAN MISNER – Hoof Prints Staff
Prom, a memorable night for the juniors and seniors, has caused a bit of chaos already. The big dilemma involved the location of prom: on or off campus. Although the issue has been resolved, last week the halls were active with chatter about the possibility of having prom off campus.
The dilemma began when the junior class prom committee decided to do something different for prom and proposed hosting it off campus. According to prom committee members, the change was intended to make prom more interesting and affordable, but it ended up causing several problems.
Whitlee Rolland, senior class president, conveyed that her classmates felt that the on campus prom was “more of a tradition.” Rolland also stated that the seniors felt that going off campus would result in a lack of decorations. According to Rolland, many seniors believed that more decorating can be done in the cafeteria because there are no limits on how many decorations the juniors can put up.
Heath Hawkins, a senior, also said that nothing was wrong with having prom in the cafeteria because everyone fits in there and it is close. Hawkins said he believes that more parents are likely to come and watch their children if the prom is held on campus.
Michel Beaird was one of the seniors who supported the off campus prom. “It’s always cool to do new things,” Beaird stated. He said that he believes the whole situation is not as bad as people made it out to be. Beaird said he thinks the idea of going off campus is ideal because the students are served a free meal, they spend nothing on transportation, they can get the most out of their tux or dress, and they still have freedom to do as they please after prom.
Jenny Walker, junior class prom committee member, also said that prom off campus would be nice. Walker stated that this would be great because the juniors spend their time and hard-earned money on decorations when the students usually do not stay at prom for more than an hour. Walker stated that by having an off campus prom, the juniors will feel that prom was not a “waste of money.”
“Juniors spend over a thousand dollars for decorations and the students don’t stay long enough to enjoy them, or get their money’s worth,” Walker stated.
Tricia Brightwell, junior class sponsor, was surprised that such an uproar started. “The juniors and I saw [an off campus prom] as an opportunity to save the class from waste, and also save the students and their parents money by providing a dinner and nice transportation to an upscale location. Our goal is to give each student a memorable prom experience they will treasure and can afford.”
A former class sponsor, Carol Hamrick, who has hosted several proms before, can see both sides of the situation. She said she understands that the off campus prom would fix the problem of the students leaving shortly after arriving. Hamrick also explained that many seniors were frustrated because they felt as if the junior class was forcing them to have an off campus prom. According to Mrs. Hamrick, last year’s prom committee included the seniors’ opinions and desires, and many seniors felt that the current prom committee took it upon themselves to select the destination.
After the prom committee made the decision to host the prom off campus, many students were not happy. As a result, two petitions were formed by the senior class. The petitions, stating whether the students wanted an on or off campus prom, were brought to the attention of their class sponsor and he approved the action. Steve Brummett, senior class sponsor, stated that he told the students to read the two petitions and sign one, either the on or off campus petition. “Whether the students read them or not, I don’t know,” stated Brummett.
As a result, prom has become a sore spot for several students, predominantly the seniors. To settle the debate at hand, the prom committee made a voting sheet that was distributed to students to get their input about the prom location. As a result of the vote and other factors, the decision was made at the end of the week to keep the tradition of holding prom at the cafeteria. The prom will be held on Friday, April 23.
“The Juniors and I are ready to move on from the location issue so we can get some things done. We [the juniors and I] want peace back at school, so we have decided to keep the tradition,” stated Brightwell.
