Suit Up 2012: Hit or Miss?

WHS Prom: Suit Up 2012 on PhotoPeach

Photo Credit: Ellisa Haines

Students dance underneath the disco ball at Prom.

Makayla Karr-Warner, Student Life Editor
April 30, 2012
Filed under Student Life, Uncategorized

Some suggest prom is simply your typical high school dance because it costs way too much money and is a huge waste of time. I, on the other hand, would disagree. Before prom on Saturday 21st, all of my visions of it came from movies: Pretty in Pink, Prom, 10 Things I Hate About You, She’s All That, and many more. However, those ideas changed because there is so much more to prom than it just being a dance. Prom was a span of four hours where we all were joined together in a grand ballroom wearing fancy dresses and tuxedos simply enjoying being a teenager.

After standing in line for the usual clutch check, pat down, breathalyzer test, and student I.D. scan, the foyer served as a coat and shoes check station, prom court voting booth, and professional picture stand. By ordering in advance or paying at the dance, you could choose from a myriad of different sizes and style photo options to take with your date or friends while standing in front of a backdrop overlooking a midnight blue sky and glamorous golden palace.

A little past the checking and prom voting area, a beautiful grey and black marble staircase lead to a second floor. From here, you could either go outside to a balcony overlooking the street that offered many card game tables or into a separate ballroom where the dance floor was located.

Bouncing off the walls of the Pantheon-esque ballroom was loud, catchy rap and pop music causing the entire building to shake, letting everyone on Battery Street know that WHS was here to party it up at prom. The D.J. mixed old favorites that many would remember from awkward middle school dances with current music as well as the classic, cheesy favorites of those like Michael Jackson and Journey. The D.J. always got people moving with fun and memorable tunes. Junior Ale Gilbert comments that there were “lots of fun and upbeat music” and that “it was music we could all dance to and have fun with.”

On each side of the ballroom, drink stands offered all kinds of beverages from Diet Coke to virgin Pina Coladas for any parched student. Towards the back, milk and white chocolate fountains lured many with its sweet, delicious smell to try a bite of a strawberry accompanied with a generous dose of heavenly warm chocolate. Between the two delectable chocolate fountains, a pair of doors opened into a smaller room housing a Craps and Roulette table with students crowded around trying to gauge if they could last in the real Las Vegas.

Half-way through the night, prom court was called to the front. Mitchell Hickman, Ryan Blocker, Andrew Blatner, and Scott Feurerhelm were nominated for Junior Prom Prince while Randi Stafford, Laura Stelma, Emma Adams, and Michaelann Agel were nominated for Junior Prom Princess.

Senior Prom King nominees included Will Beckh, Eric Bet, Eric Betancourt, and Jared Pockalny. The Senior Prom Queen candidates included Didra Barnes, Angie Durkee, Kimmi Wong, and Sabina Yuen. Ultimately, Mitchell Hickman and Emma Adams won Junior Prince and Princess and Jared Pockalny and Angie Durkee won Prom King and Queen. The winners wore the cliche plastic tiaras and crowns and shared the traditional dance to a slow song.

For both Pockalny, Durkee, and Adams , winning Prom King, Queen, and Princess came as a shock. Polckanly describes the winning experience as “pretty cool” because  he “didn’t really expect people to vote for [him] because everyone is like ‘Will Beckh, you’re awesome!’ I would have thought he would have won.” Durkee “originally campaigned for [her] friend, Sabina Yuen and the whole time [she] truly wanted her to win,” but she “was really surprised because [she] wasn’t expecting to win anything.”

Adam comments that “it was really nice to have people vote for [her]” because she “had no idea that, that many people knew me. It was a really nice feeling to be noticed like that.” Hickman thought that “it was really exciting winning Prince because of the experience [he] got to share with [his] other friends who were nominated in Court;” however,  and “the announcing of names and slow dance in front of the entire Junior and Senior class body was a tad bit nervewracking.”

Suit Up: Prom 2012 was a complete hit; held at the beautiful and historic Bently Reserve, offered fun activities, delicious food, and memories that everyone will hopefully cherish forever. I hope that everyone had a safe and wonderful prom, and I hope to see you next year at the 2013 prom!

Tags: card games, card table, casino, chocolate, chocolate fountains, dancing, disco ball, music, pop, prom, rap, WHS

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