With Junior Prom approaching in May, students are beginning to figure out what their prom weekend is going to look like.  With events such as pre-prom for taking pictures and getting ready, and after-prom, a chance for kids to continue the party, there are lots of different parts to consider for planning.  

This year, the school has decided to host Junior Prom on a Saturday night instead of the traditional Friday.  This decision was based on the fact that many students utilize the hours leading up to prom to get ready.  Many students will turn to local professional places, such as hair and nail salons, or makeup artists, to ensure they look good for the big night.  The process may take a while for kids, and has previously led to many students, specifically girls, leaving school early on Friday or not attending at all.  

The school wants to ensure that all students are present for their classes and still have the ability to prepare for Junior Prom.  Therefore, they decided that prom would be held Saturday night.  While this solves the problem of students missing classes, it creates a new problem.  When prom was held on Friday night, the student-led after-prom would take place on Saturday night.  

After-prom typically consists of the entire junior class traveling to New York City and continuing the party at a private venue.  This gives the class a chance to spend more time together and have a fun experience traveling into the city with their peers.  Since Junior Prom is on a Saturday night, after-prom can not take place the next day because it will be on a Sunday, a school night.  Therefore, this year the student-planned after-prom is going to begin immediately after prom – late Saturday night.  While this is a solution, it results in students being out in the city until the early hours of Sunday morning.  This is not an ideal schedule and parents are hesitant to send their kids into the city late at night.  

After-prom is nowhere near mandatory, but is a traditional part of Junior Prom that students do not want to miss out on.  This schedule, however, results in fewer students being able to attend compared to previous years, hindering their ability to bond with their peers.  

In addition to concerns about after-prom, students also have commitments on Saturdays that they might have to miss in order to prepare for prom.  Although they will not be missing class, they may miss out on sports practices, rehearsals, or Driver’s Ed.  Moving the date of Junior Prom only transfers, or adds on problems for students planning on attending, and taking place in the traditional activities planned around the prom.  Either way, students are missing out on important events, whether it’s school or other activities, and have been stripped of the opportunity for a safer and earlier after-prom.