On May 29th, 2024, an 8-1 decision was made by the senior class council to combine the 2025 junior and senior proms. The student body was torn, and a heated debate ensued.
Prom is a rite of passage for high school students. The act of dressing up with glitz and glamor, going out, and sharing moments with friends, is a pinnacle event for some.
In the past, WHS has held separate junior and senior proms.
Senior Pari Agrawal claims there was nothing announced about the making of this decision. She feels that the class of 2025 was underrepresented and the decision was made without the consideration of everyone involved.
Agrawal is upset about this decision and feels it was made without the consideration of the rest of the seniors. “The atmosphere and environment of prom is going to be completely different with a whole other grade there,” she says. Agrawal has been looking forward to her senior prom for years.
On May 16th and May 28th of 2024, an email was sent by Class Council advisors about a meeting that was “open to anyone who wants to attend.” The email stated that decisions were being made about prom, though no mention of a joint prom vote.
The Class of 2025 Student Council, made up of an average of nine people, came together to review budget concerns, venue considerations, and timing. According to Mr. Ahchrona, one of the advisors for the senior class, the conversation initially started when the 2026 Juniors could no longer secure the Rose Barn at the Eugene O’Neill as a venue.
The search for a new junior prom venue came up dry, as most venues required a sit-down dinner and such a condition is financially prohibitive.
Ahlcrona stated that it was a time crunch. There wasn’t enough time to poll the entire grade, and even if they did, the people who responded wouldn’t be fully educated on the facts.
Andrew Bertrand, who held the single opposing vote at the initial meeting, says he has mixed feelings on the situation. He claims he was against the decision at first, because there was a reasonable expectation that the seniors would get their own prom. “We’ve been telling these kids for [three] years that they’re going to have their own prom. Maybe just keep it that way.”
However, Bertrand, after hearing the arguments for combining the prom, has come to terms with the decision and says, “if people just think about it, it’s not that big of a deal.”
Prom is an expensive endeavor, with the 2024 senior prom costing upwards of $21,000, according to Ahlcrona. Attendees often arrive late or leave early. Class of 2025 President Katie Jamroga says, “a lot of the people who were complaining about the decision were the people who left an hour [to] an hour and a half early from prom.”
By merging the proms into one, it’s cheaper for both classes. You only have to get ready once, you only have to buy one ticket, and it’s just easier, says Jamroga. In addition, the liveliness of the event will be greater due to more people present.
Mrs. Force, the other advisor for the Class of 2025, vocalized that the only reason to keep the two proms was “tradition, tradition, tradition” and that students can’t seem to come up with other reasons.
During an interview, Force says there was positive feedback from homecoming, where more people (all grades) were present. A prom with more people may yield an enjoyable event, says Force.
Having a combined prom isn’t necessarily a unique thing. In fact, it seems that it’s more common than not. Force says “I’ve been around the country a lot…and this is the first state I’ve ever been in that does a junior and senior prom.” Old Lyme high school hosts a combined junior-senior prom.
As a result of a joint prom, the senior class had a surplus of money to use. On Friday, August 31st, the senior class went to Brownstone Adventure Park for a significantly reduced ticket price of $10 (compared to the $49 regular price). This is the first time a WHS senior class has gone on a supplemental trip in over 20 years.
In the past, senior class trips have been held in the spring, where many people couldn’t attend due to sports. According to Ahlcrona, this is why the senior class went on the trip so early in the year. Almost every senior was in attendance.
A poll posted on Instagram found that the seniors had a very positive response to the trip, with approximately 85% of people in favor of the trip, agreeing that Brownstone was worth giving up senior prom’s exclusivity.
Ahlchrona says the feedback from the senior trip was “overwhelmingly positive. When we look back at this year, I would argue that we’ll probably have more memories [of the trip]… I am never gonna forget Alex Startz dangling from the zipline.”
