Prom is that time of year where the dreams of girls who imagined attending Cinderella’s ball become reality. From sparkly dresses to tight bowties, many people eagerly countdown for the awaited day. Weeks of early planning and shopping have alerted people, including those attending schools from other districts, that the special event is drawing near. Whether it’s a major social event involving a date or just a fun get-together with friends, prom sparks the interest of many students weeks prior to the actual date.

The first signs of prom season are probably best known among all students: promposals. Promposals, a shorter version of “prom proposals”, give a chance for people to creatively express themselves to the person they intend to ask. Most students work together in groups to carry out the task, and often find that teamwork is a necessity in order to reach a successful promposal. While most promposals involve a decorated room or gifts related to things the one being proposed to likes, some people think beyond the box and put in twice the effort to make their date feel special.

“I wrote the letters P, R, O, and M on four Post-It slips and attached them to playing cards,” Bob Liu ‘16 said. “I usually perform magic tricks to her, so I casually came up to her one morning and offered to show off my ‘newest’ trick. By performing the simple ‘reveal the four aces’ trick, I totally caught her off guard. She said yes.”

The dance doors didn’t open until 8 o’clock sharp, yet there, waiting fifteen to twenty minutes early, was a line anticipating the excitement inside the dance room. This year, as was last year, prom was held at the Renaissance Hotel, well known for its wide dance floor and spacious ballroom. A hired DJ played music with flashing lights, dancers danced and mingled with one another over the blaring music. Off to the side was a photo booth, where friends and couples alike took pictures to commemorate prom. On the other side of the room, games of poker and refreshments were set out for those who wanted to take a quick break or a bite to eat.

“The best part of prom for me was when I kept winning at poker,” Boyanne Zhu ‘17 said. “I had a great time playing poker, taking funny pictures, and just hanging out with my friends.”    

Aside from the adults patrolling the dance room, Student Council members were seen at the front of the entrance, actively collecting and tallying nomination ballots for prom queen and king. As sophomores, the Student Council members found the experience to be a new yet exciting one.  

“It was fun working at prom; I got to see my upperclassmen friends, and counting ballots wasn’t that hard or stressful,” Junu Lee ‘18 said. “In the end, it was worth it, since we got to see new things, and some of us got to place the head-wear and the sashes on the king and queen.”

After the ballots were turned in and the calculations were complete, the 2016 prom king and queen were announced as Chase Westover ‘16 and Maggie Chan ‘16, respectively. The looks on their faces showed that like everyone else in the room, they had not expected to be the lucky ones crowned that night. With a sparkly tiara for the queen and a crown for the king, their nobility stood out within the dim lights for all eyes to see.