Imagine a junior in his or her last semester, thinking about college, wrapping up difficult lessons in English, physics and algebra 2 or pre-calculus, preparing for finals as well as the SAT, ACT, and any AP exams. Then, throw all the stress of prom into the mix, and you have the formula for increased levels of anxiety.
Juniors will eventually have the chance to be seniors, following what many consider the hardest, and most stressful year of their high school career. They need to start looking at colleges, taking and retaking the SAT/ACT, and still staying on top of school work. That being said, juniors do not need the added stress of finding a prom date, a prom dress, and managing the cost of it all, especially since they’ll have to do it all over again the next year.
The expenses for prom are much higher than they appear at face value. There is the actual cost for the ticket to attend prom, which is $120 this year. For girls there are hair, nail, and makeup appointments that can have a combined cost of $275, according to promgirl.com. Dresses can cost anywhere from $100 to $600 and shoes can cost around $20 to $100, depending on how extravagant students choose to be. There are also the costs of what students choose to do after prom, like going to dinner or renting a hotel room, as well as any pre-prom arrangements and photography.
Seniors have gone through three and a half years leading up to this time in their lives. They have earned this, and the juniors will have too by their last semester of high school. Of course there are other senior exclusive events, like the senior banquet and the senior trip. However, not all students will want to do every activity, nor are there enough tickets to be able to do so.
Overall, prom should be about the seniors. If a senior chooses to bring a junior, sophomore, or freshman date, they should be free to do so – but juniors should not just be able to elect to go with their junior, sophomore, or freshman date.
Prom is one of several “rewards” for making it through most of high school. Everyone who makes it that far will have the opportunity to enjoy this celebration of the end of their years in high school, along with graduation. Until then, however, homecoming is still available to all students.