Prom 2010

As pre-teens, middle-schoolers have a lot of preconceived notions about the high school. Through three years at Jamesville-DeWitt High School, I have busted a lot of myths. For example, upperclassmen aren’t going to bully freshmen. They have better things to do. Peers, though, will bully you. Fortunately, these are the same kids that have picked on you since fifth grade. You’ll get used to it. The high school also holds some mystique to young-uns. And nothing embodies youthful romanticism more than prom.

Everyone knows (from their facebook newsfeeds) that Junior Prom took place on May 15. I am the treasurer of the Class of 2011, and was therefore directly involved in planning prom. It was a pretty standard process: hire a DJ, decorate the gym, roll in the cash. Students came in mildly excited, and hopefully left feeling satisfied. Indeed, in my mind, Prom 2010 defied the high school stereotype that a formal dance is Lame (with a capitol L).

See, high school students are cynics. They expect things to fail and take sick pleasure when they do. I stop watching American Idol after the audition episodes, because after that, everyone has decent singing talent. That’s no fun. So students go in to prom expecting the food to suck, the songs to be dumb and the décor to be clichéd (I just used two words that have accents in them. Pretty impressive). However, this year was different. The Auxiliary Gym housed some genuinely happy kids. The reason for this was the surplus of freshmen.

Freshmen in May have not yet been brainwashed into a mundane high school lifestyle. They only have science two days in an ABCD cycle! Prom 2010 was loaded with freshies, male and female. I am willing to bet my Sammy Sosa bobble head that it was an unprecedented freshmen turnout at J-DHS. Sophomores too. As I learned, the beauty of bringing an underclassman to prom is subtle. It erases the anxiety of asking a date. Freshmen and sophomores have no choice but to say yes. For if they say no, they don’t get to go at all. Juniors can hold out, hoping for a better option. Hey, the high school is a cutthroat place. Strategizing is key.

As treasurer of my class, I also know the fiscal advantages of freshmen at prom. Let’s do some math: if 200 juniors paired up, how many tickets would be sold? 100. Now, if each junior asked a freshman? 400!! By taking a freshman myself, I sleep well at night knowing I helped stimulate the economy. Most of the money raised this year will be used towards Ball 2011. Until then, I propose propaganda posters of the dance’s charm be distributed to eighth graders.