• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

The Official Student Paper of Riverside Poly High School

Why Prom is Wonderful

Apr 22, 2015

MAGIC: Poly’s 2015 prom at the Aquarium of the Pacific was an event of beauty and energy, despite its expense.

By Emily Hughes, Staff Writer

Before stepping into a limousine with my makeup done for the first time in years, before entering the deep-blue rooms teeming with both aquatic and human life, before reaching into glassy water to touch a shark, I was planning on writing an article explaining why prom isn’t worth the price.

I wanted to write an article about the worthlessness of prom because at first, and before I truly knew what prom was, I could only focus on its price. Tickets cost $60 to $70, dresses ranged from $50 to $400 and overall, many Poly students spent upwards of $500 on this one evening—this one four-hour event. I decided it was not worth the price and promptly collected data and statistics from four different sources and interviewed ten different Poly students to prove my point.

But something strange happened as I worked on my article. A pattern emerged with each student I interviewed. As I asked for the price of the dress, the suit, the shoes and the nail polish, I heard little to no complaints. Only a few told me that it was entirely too expensive. In fact, the overwhelming response was one of sheer anticipation.

Even after receiving a positive response from Poly students, I was skeptical. Will the venue be worth it? I asked myself. The Aquarium of the Pacific is vividly beautiful and captivating, but will we be able to wander throughout the rooms and watch the clown fish, manta rays and sea anemones dance in the water?

If you went to prom, you know the answer.

Students wandered through the halls, fascinated by the great white sharks inches from their faces and charmed by the sea otters playfully chasing each other. Couples posed in hollowed caverns surrounded by glass as eels slithered by behind them. Groups watched as jellyfish bells undulated, heading in all directions with the laziness and ease of summer afternoons. And outside, students dipped their hands into the cold water of long pools to touch the slimy backs of stingrays or the rough skin of sharks.

In the aquarium’s main hall, students danced with passion and youth, and outside amongst the stars, students swayed to the slow rhythm of the night. Laughter erupted when a football player scored a goal on the air hockey table; joyous exclamations were shouted whenever friends recognized one another. It was an evening of excitement but also one of reflection and soft moments. It was a night that moved as quickly as its hip-hop soundtrack but also one that slowed down as students took in their surroundings, looked up at the stars and smiled to themselves.

And yes, prom was expensive, but prom was a night to celebrate the last moments of high school, to dress up and look stunning and to take time to admire the beauty of the world. Perhaps the price was worth it for a night like this.

Before I saw the stars reflected in the black lagoon of sharks, before I watched the trees whizz by in a clouded limousine window, before I felt the memorable melodies and beat drops coursing through my veins, I wanted to write an article condemning prom’s extravagance. But, instead, I found myself writing an article explaining why prom is wonderful.

 

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