With the prom season over at Kelly Walsh, students have time to reflect if the money and stress put into the dance is all worth it. Prom, on average, costs about 200-300 dollars, and kids throw it out like nothing. Once the dance is roughly a month away, prom goers start to make reservations, if needed, to dinner restaurants, book photographers, plan a place to take pictures, find a date and a group, and before all that they have to find a date. Some kids opt out of going to the dance by not even trying to find a date, but others think those that opt out are crazy. 

With Covid cancelling prom in 2020, the seniors were finally to be able to enjoy their first prom this year. It was up in the air if there was even going to be a dance at all this year. Governor Gordon came through though. With 500 students allowed in attendance at the dance with only Kelly students allowed, the Trojan student council got to planning. 

“I think it was a big change from not thinking we were going to have a dance to decorating one of the biggest high school dances. It was definitely crazy and I forgot what I was doing a few times, but soon enough I got used to it,” said Student Body President Haliegh Seyfang.

Because of Covid the student council’s budget was not large enough to cover the typical costs of a Kelly Walsh dance, so the advisors adapted finding alternative ways to decorate on the cheaper side but still making the night enjoyable for students. 

“I would say it’s worth it because it gives kids a lifelong memory of feeling special. Plus all the effort that goes into it makes the night even more memorable,” said junior, Caden Allaire.

It is often said high school is the “best time of your life,” and making memories is important.  Prom is an opportunity for kids to let their stresses go away and just enjoy a night of dancing with your friends. Although the cost of prom can get pretty high, the memories students make are priceless and cannot be remade. Allaire has been to all the dances that he’s been allowed to go to, and he claims that this 2021 prom was the most memorable one of them all. 

Some juniors did not see it as big of a deal as others did, such as Shelby Ramage. “I don’t really regret not going. It would have been fun if I did, but I’m super glad they held prom allowing things to get back to normal,” said Ramage.

Prom was the final hoo-rah to one of the craziest school years in school history. It was exciting when the school board and governor approved of the dance, and made not only students ecstatic but the teachers were too.

“I was so happy that the students got a dance and got the chance to enjoy normal life before some of them step into adulthood. Out of my 16 years of chaperoning dances at Kelly this dance was definitely the most energetic, with the most smiles on kids faces, even though masks were supposed to be up,” said math teacher and student council advisor Beth Williams.

All in all prom was worth it and in the year of 2021 it meant more to students than it ever had in the past.