Gold, silver, black and anything else inspired by the 1920s materialism and American Dream era of The Great Gatsby will be seen at prom this year. Juniors and seniors attending prom will have the opportunity to attend a regular prom for the first time in two years after cautiously working around COVID-19.

Prom will be held at the Myth this year on May 14. The theme suggested, however not required is The Great Gatsby. The Prom committee, consisting of junior members and senior leaders with advisors Dusty Dennis and Vanessa Terpstra are excitedly working hard to make sure this years prom is as enjoyable as possible, while last year’s repercussions surrounding COVID-19 made planning prom more difficult.

Kaylena Hoffman, junior and prom committee member, explained that she wanted to be a part of the prom committee because she has been fascinated by prom ever since she was a child.

To allow for a flexible schedule on prom night, a traditional grand march will not be held this year. A grand march typically consists of a ceremony held before prom where students are given the chance to present themselves by walking in via a walkway or carpet inside. However, the prom committee decided against this idea as with the amount of students and the location of the event, the grand march would take an estimated time of three hours.

“You got about 1000 kids coming to prom give or take. So a grand march is going to take about three hours.” Prom Advisor Dusty Dennis said.

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Gabby Knowlan

Pictures must be taken for this important moment, prom. Something that will be cherished by many as it is the first, in the last three years, regular prom.

Unlike last year’s prohibiting of juniors and plus ones, this year each student who is qualified as an upperclassmen is allowed to bring one plus one. Students who plan on bringing a guest will fill out a form stating their student information and information about the guest. The guest attending prom must be in grade 9 or higher and no older than age 20. The cost for guest tickets are $45 and the guest contract must be submitted by 3p.m. on May. 6.

Terpstra said that in order to bring a guest “they for sure have to be under 21” and students will fill out a guest form that will be sent to Dennis who will then make sure the guest is “in good standing and that they will participate in prom appropriately.”

In any prom, chaperones are a must. At prom chaperones will consist of staff administration, security guards provided by the Myth and officer Paradise. The responsibilities of chaperones is to keep track of the whereabouts of students, make sure students are following any rules or guidelines and make sure students  are having a good time while staying safe.

“There will be security provided by the Myth. Officer Paradise will also be there. I know Mr. Bach will be there,” Terpstra said.

The cost per ticket is based on the estimated amount of money spent on the caterer, decorations and any other recourses that contribute to prom. Although their is no certain number that indicates the overall budget of prom their must be a realistic price that leaves some money left over to contribute to next years prom.

The prom committee generates, “a general number. It’s usually related to how much were paying for the location and for instance, the myth is about $22,000 give or take so when you set ticket sales, you have to basically make sure that you cover the cost,” Dennis said.

The job of the prom committee is to make sure students attending prom are being safe while still having fun. Many are looking forward to being able to attend prom with little precautions to make up for lost time consumed by COVID-19.