On Friday, Apr. 11, 400 juniors and seniors dressed up and partook in an American tradition that has existed since the late 19th century: Prom.
Student Council (StuCo) plans and decorates the venue, Villa Milano, so it fits with the theme; this year it was voted “A Night In Paris” by Hayes’ upperclassmen out of a variety of other options.
“We usually start planning from our first meeting after winter break, so January is usually our first meeting and we meet pretty consistently in our different committees,” Spanish teacher Paige Smith said.
Among many teachers involved in StuCo, Smith runs the decorations committee. Although the advisors play a big role in the planning, StuCo students have to take initiative to get the long list of to-do’s done.
“We ordered some decorations but we mainly put together our own,” StuCo member and sophomore Leila Skosples said. “We would volunteer throughout lunches and study halls and we would set up cardboard cutouts, we painted, we drew decorations and we set up things like the Eiffel Tower because of the Paris theme.”
Although StuCo sets up prom to their taste, the juniors and seniors are the ones who enjoy it. Villa Milano limits the size of attendance to only 400 tickets available for over 800 total upperclassmen, which means less than half of students can get tickets (especially when dates can come from other schools). Some students report that the space still feels too small despite the attempt to decrease the amount of people.
“I thought the inside was pretty, but I didn’t really think there was enough room for all of us to dance,” junior Sydney Brown said.
Other complaints about the venue included the area it was located in. Villa Milano is a 34 minute drive from Hayes.
“I didn’t like driving really far and I wish it was closer,” Brown, who lives about 45 minutes away from the venue said.
Although prom wasn’t perfect, the majority of people still enjoyed the night (and Brown reported that she loved the cheesecake).
“I love getting to see the juniors and seniors [when] they’re all dressed up and they’re excited to have a good time,” Smith said. “Seeing them interact, whether it’s at dinner or on the dance floor… it’s just so much fun to see them outside of school… Because I live far away it’s kind of a day where I get to see all of the students I had previously.”
StuCo impacts not only prom, but the students who are a part of it. Prom helps to build community during the stressful end of the school year. It is a nice break from the lethargic late winter, giving students something to look forward to.
“I really like how it feels when I’m part of planning things in this school,” Skosples said. “I like being able to use my hours to better things and listen to what people want.”
