Prom brings expectations of long hours spent doing hair, makeup, and everything in between. However, this year the announcement of the May 5th prom date came with a caveat, all students were required to attend at least three class periods in order to be allowed into prom. Students shared their thoughts.
“I thought [the requirement] was kind of ridiculous,” junior Whitney Egbe shared.
The requirement comes from countywide policy 9010, the policy stating that “A student is counted present for a half day if in attendance for at least two hours of the school day.” Students expressed their dismay at the rule, as well as sharing that most people need more than the few hours provided to get ready.
“I know for everyone it depends, but for some people getting ready takes a long time. Some people have their hair appointments, their makeup, waxings, eyebrows, whatever and that can take upwards of a full day to do,” senior Aidan Burnham stated.
Some students even shared a hesitation on purchasing tickets prior to the event because of the requirement that had been put into place.
“I still haven’t bought my prom ticket, and I don’t even know if I want to go because of this. Just because of the hassle,” Burnham expressed.
Students had begun to wonder how the attendance would be accounted for when showing up to prom, as well as how AP testing or early release would be taken into consideration.
“We will have a copy of the daily attendance at prom,” principal Dr. Dipaula explained. “AP tests essentially function as a field trip, so those students will be excused. Students that have dual enrollment or work release in the morning will be permitted to attend prom. If there are emergencies that cannot be avoided, administrators need to know prior to the prom so we can figure out a plan.”
Due to the rule stating that students are only required to attend the first three periods, most people agreed that they would be leaving early to get ready or to simply get some rest before the big night.
“Of course I’m going home early; there’s no logical reason why I shouldn’t go home and prepare,” junior Jackson Komin stated.
The preparation for the night extended past just students and to front office , secretary Ms. Closson explained that the front office had been “preparing for at least a week beforehand.”
After third period on May 5th, the front office became swamped with students leaving in order to prepare themselves for the night ahead.
“When we had 500 people, I started counting them off, so I counted them 20 at a time. We had six stations for sign out. A community member actually complained because traffic was so thick, and requested police presence in the future,” attendance secretary Ms. Lockhoff explained.
Overall the policy, despite it being county-wide, was one that sparked many feelings among the Marriotts Ridge student body. Prom still managed to be a success, selling over 500 tickets and providing students with a place to make lifelong memories.