Between the end of third quarter, Spring Break drama, and the brief tease of warm weather soon to come, what else do juniors and seniors have to look forward to in the next few weeks?
Prom, the only dance at New Trier that is specifically planned for juniors and seniors is quickly approaching. However, some think that students are preparing for the dance a little too early.
Junior Justin Romic explained that by asking early, the stress of planning for the dance is greatly reduced. Meghan Riordan, a junior (and Romic’s date), claimed that the benefit of being asked early is that there’s more time to plan everything.
“You hopefully get a group figured out and no one is rushing at the end to find a house to take pictures at or have the after party. Everything is more organized.”
Senior Justin Truong explained that it is best to ask a date early so there is enough time to prepare for the night.
“Getting the plans and things you need for Prom might take a while and you never know what dilemmas might set you back,” said Truong. “Time is valuable so take as much as you can get.”
Both Riordan and Romic were excited about the venue of the dance. For the fourth consecutive year, the dance will be held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Jess Urkov, a junior, was also excited about the hotel. She said that, while the other dances are held in the school gyms, which are fun, the change in scenery will be a very cool experience.
Romic said, “Prom is more formal. You go to the city and dinner is served there, [and] also because only juniors and seniors can ask dates to Prom, it makes it different than other New Trier dances where most or all of the school is able to attend.”
At Homecoming and Turnabout, juniors and seniors pick a theme and dress up according to the theme. Although this can be a fun experience and is definitely unique to New Trier, Riordan said that she is most excited about getting dressed up formally rather than wearing a costume
Meghan Mulhern, a senior, said that she is most looking forward to spending time with her friends and celebrating their time together. Mulhern did not want to have to worry about the dance so early, but she realized that it was necessary so that all Prom plans could be made thoroughly. She said that she is excited to have a great time at her last New Trier dance.
Because Prom is supposedly more special than any other dance, Truong did his “creative ask” for his date, senior Debbie Kang, during advisery this past week.
“I learned how to bake red velvet cupcakes and draw a Pikachu before I asked her because I wanted to make it special,” said Truong. He decorated the cupcakes to look like Pokéballs and complemented them with a card. “I used the line, ‘I choose you!’ on my card with Pikachu drawings,” said Truong.
Kang was also looking forward to dressing up formally for the dance.
Truong added, “I’m excited to spend time with my Prom date and friends. We don’t have much time left in high school anymore and who knows when we will all have the time to spend together next year?”
Truong wants to make the night as special as possible. “Imagine all the other school dances you’ve been to before as a New Trier student and now realize this is the last one. I realize that I want my senior year to end on a good note and make my high school experience memorable.”