Seniors, juniors and invited sophomores who gathered at Edmond Memorial High School’s annual prom on May 4 were met with a rather disappointing turnout. With an arrangement of controversies for the anticipated event, it did not live up to this year’s expectations.
First announced at the beginning of April, prom was scheduled to be held in the school’s lower commons on April 27, and the theme was “Light Up the Night.” Many students, including myself, were disappointed by this choice of location. Compared to the other Edmond Public Schools high schools, EMHS was the only school hosting prom on campus. Due to the other schools planning to host their proms at places like ballrooms, my expectations were not exactly met mainly because of the lack of space and elegance in the lower commons.
In a change of events, severe weather disrupted all three high schools’ prom events, forcing Edmond Public Schools to reschedule prom to May 4. Because of this change, Edmond Santa Fe High School and Edmond North High School were forced to have their proms at their school sites too. In addition, the EMHS prom planners decided to market the theme based on the ‘90s show “Friends” while coordinators encouraged everyone to dress more casually. This was upsetting to prom goers like me because dressing casually defeats the purpose of prom.
Once checked in and through the doors, the sight was more underwhelming than I expected because of the lack of decoration and space to move. With a similar setting to this year’s Fall Ball event, prom only had the slight upgrade of better food, beverages and more seating. With the incredible heat produced near the dance floor and the limited space to dance, I would say that this prom was less than what was expected for an Edmond prom considering the lack of an atmosphere and decorations.
Despite that, the music was a slight improvement from last year, with song choices that create a semi-fun atmosphere. It matched the energy and setting and may have been one of the most fun parts of the night. However, the best part of prom for me had to be the fireworks. The array of music accompanying the grand fireworks shown outside had students in awe, easily taking the cake as my favorite part of the night. Fireworks were a main event for prom this year, and thankfully, the weather did not spoil it. In regards to the theme, the only thing living up to the “Friends” theme was the theme song playing during the fireworks show.
Upon leaving, each guest was given a leftover shirt from last year’s “Kentucky Derby” theme, a prom cup and a portable EMHS car charger. The students who stayed enjoyed the rest of the night with the finishing dances, games, photographs and time spent with others. However, any photos taken by professionals during prom costed money.
Prom this year was a rollercoaster for many students, myself included. The atmosphere was enjoyable, but some parts of the night fell short. Overall, I would say that this year’s prom did not have a good turnout and could have been better.
Contact Jordan Graham at [email protected]
