Before entering high school, we’ve all vicariously lived the ideal senior prom through classic high school flicks

like “Mean Girls,” “A Cinderella Story,” “16 candles,” and “Pretty in Pink.” After perfectly cliché drama ensues, prom

acts as a common setting for these characters to come together and restore peace among their posse. The girl and guy

finally kiss, friendships are mended, and a perfectly orchestrated ending follows. Even Disney Channel shows and

teen dramas prime viewers to expect their own senior prom to be nothing but magical. This is why it may come as an

extreme disappointment to seniors who can’t find the perfect dress, aren’t in a group with all of their best friends, or

don’t even get asked.

Caught up in the whirlwind that is Senior Prom planning, not having an after party, or getting stuck with a

date who is far from your soul mate seems like the end of the world. In reality, is this one night of pure high school

perfection truly vital to the high school experience?

For students who enjoy attending school dances, Senior Prom is the last of nine opportunities to go to a dance.

Although Prom is held in a posh location and includes dinner, the experience students take away from the dance is more

about how much fun they had dancing and spending time with their friends. This experience can be gained from any

Turnabout or Homecoming dance, so prom does not provide anything especially unique.

Senior prom is often more appealing at other schools because it is the only dance exclusively for seniors. New

Trier allows students to attend their junior year, so there are two chances to attend prom. Because many have already

gone their junior, or in some cases, sophomore year, there is not as much pressure to make Senior Prom into the perfect

night.

What seems most clearly absent from real prom, but never fails to be highlighted in movies, is the idea of going

to Prom with the perfect date. In classic high school flicks or shows, the two teens, who seem destined to be together

throughout the movie, finally come together for their senior prom. While there are many couples who attend prom

together, most people take a date who is either a friend or a random person they were set up with. The expectation of

going with your true love to prom, which is commonly presented to us through the media, is not an accurate portrayal

of what prom is actually like. It’s less about the date and more about the group of friends you go with to the dance.

Similarly, girls often get caught up in searching for the perfect dress. Because the majority of New Trier dances

require students to dress in theme, the formal attire of prom can cause a panic. A common debate is often whether girls

should all wear short or long dresses. In actuality, does the length or color of the dress directly correlate to how great

the dance experience is? Although it’s fun to dress up, being the best dressed is not imperative to having a great time.

Although movies consistently portray the prom dress to be one of the most important parts of the night, in reality,

it’s just another dress girls will wear for a few hours and then probably never wear again. This is not an issue worthy of

stressing over, even though the Disney Channel may portray it to be.

As fun as Senior Prom can be, it is not the end all be all of high school. If you do not attend Senior Prom or don’t

feel that it lived up to be everything you always expected, you can still graduate from high school knowing that the

greatest night of your life has not passed you by. Although it is the last, Senior Prom is just another school dance where

students get a chance to spend the night with their significant other or close friends. It doesn’t have to be anything

grander than that. We cannot all end up like Cadey Heron and Aaron Samuels of “Mean Girls.” It’s better to go in with

an open mind and focus on having a good time instead of having a perfect night.