Prom is one of the most famous rites of passage for teenagers, however, there is more than just going to a dance.
Six seniors shared their experiences of the memorable night.

GETTING READY

Senior Tatiana Floyd –
“My day began with me waking up at 7 am to wash and blow dry my hair to prepare it for my hair appointment. I then went to my hair appointment for about 3 hours before heading to McDonald’s for a quick bite to eat.”

Senior Yavonte Williams –
“I got up at like 10 and ate breakfast, then my parents went to get me more accessories for my suit.”

Tatiana Floyd –
“Once I came home, my outfit creator allowed me to try it on for minor adjustments before I went to my makeup appointment. I was very stressed, as time was ticking and she was running behind.”

Yavonte Williams –
“When (my parents) came back, my mom did my hair, and I waited till about 4:30 to start putting on my suit. When I put it on, my mom tailored the pants a little bit, and that took about 45 minutes.”

Tatiana Floyd –
“Once my makeup was complete, I dashed off to my hotel room to get dressed for my prom send-off. It was truly all hands on deck getting me dressed before I headed down for some professional photos, and to greet my date, family & friends. Lastly, I headed to prom.”

Yavonte Williams-
“Around like 6:30 my ride came, then we went to Tati’s send off at 7:50, then I got to prom at 8 something, and the rest is history.”

DANCING, FOOD, FRIENDS, AND FUN 

Senior Genysha McNeal –
“Prom night was honestly the best! I arrived by myself, waiting for my boyfriend and more of my friends to arrive, and the venue looked incredible.”

Senior Teri Easby –
“The first thing I did when I got to prom was look for familiar faces. It had been a while since I had seen my friends in person because I graduated early, so I had to find them.”

Genysha McNeal –
“Once everyone arrived, we started things off by eating food, fruit, and drinking water and soda. We were just vibing and snapping selfies with each other.”

Teri Easby –
“After talking with my friends, my date forced me to get food. I didn’t actually eat much.”

Genysha McNeal –
“Once the music started, we hit the dance floor and went crazy! My friends and I were the best dressed, most lit, and most exciting friend group there; just having a good time. The energy was crazy!”

Teri Easby –
“Once I ate about two grapes, I was on the dance floor in my Nike slides, because those heels were for aesthetic purposes only, man. Even in my slides, I caught about four cramps and ended up on the ground multiple times.”

Genysha McNeal –
“By the end of the night, we gathered for one last group pic, and it was a great experience to be surrounded by my favorite people.”

THE UNEXPECTED AFTERMATH

Senior Brionna Gales –
“So, after we left prom, my friends and I sat in the school parking lot for a few minutes, yapping. Then, we all headed back to our hotel room at The Renaissance Hotel to change our clothes before heading to the get-together that we were invited to. As we got out of our glittery dresses and took our jewelry off, our homeboys waited impatiently outside our door. After 30 minutes or so, they began to knock repeatedly and rush us even more. After all the ladies were dressed and ready to go, I forced them to take a mirror picture with me for memories.”

Senior Zachary Gleghorn –
“After prom was a night to remember. After getting into my car, I went home to change into an after-prom outfit. I had a black and grey hoodie, with stacked black jeans and grey shoes. I picked my friends up and we decided the night wasn’t over. One of my friends had a hotel, so I picked up five of my friends and we headed there. Everyone besides me changed at the hotel, and figured we should go to someone’s after-prom event. After an hour of everyone getting ready, we headed that way. As the driver I got to choose the music. I played “We Got Buttons” by Chucky. We took the highway and headed to Saint Charles where the event was located.”

Brionna Gales –
“As we were leaving the hotel and deciding who was gonna ride with who to the Airbnb, I asked my friends, ‘What if we get to the get together and they start doing certain activities or the police get called?’ My friends assured me that I was thinking too hard and I shouldn’t worry because we were all gonna be ‘chilling’. I got into the car after deciding to ride with my guy friend. The entire way there we listened to ‘crash-out’ music ..and it was almost as if the way he felt was hatred towards everyone. We arrived at the Airbnb and knocked on the door.. No answer. So then my homeboy comes from inside to let us in. We go in and greet everyone. I went straight to the kitchen and posted up because I looked too good to just be in the house, and I was ready to go before. My idea was to go bowling or to the arcade, but my friends suggested otherwise. However, as we sat there for a little longer, I noticed things started to get to the point where it was too much for comfort, so I walked outside to call my Uber and grabbed my food from my friends who had just gotten there.
Meanwhile, as I walking up, I was approached by six plus police officers with flashlights. They had received a call for a burglary and believed that we were suspects because we were at the door and randomly walking around. I was so scared that I couldn’t even say anything but ‘don’t worry, I’m about to go’.”

Zachary Gleghorn –
“After arrival, we noticed the police were there, but not for the reasons we thought. Apparently the house was a joined house and we weren’t aware of that, so our friends that arrived before us knocked on the wrong door. As it was night time it was cold, and some people had on shorts, so the door was knocked on aggressively, which led to them calling the police, thinking it was a burglary, but it was a misunderstanding. After everything was sorted, we went to the correct house and enjoyed ourselves.”

Brionna Gales –
Afterwards, the officers questioned us and found out that it was a misunderstanding, so they let us go back into the house and enjoy each other’s company. Again, I was over it and wanted to leave, so as I was waiting for my sister to respond to me, I waited in the house. One thing led to another, and I ended up walking out of the back door to my friend’s car so that he could take me back to my hotel room. We left and stopped at the gas station down the street from our hotel because we forgot that we hadn’t eaten anything. After getting snacks and many talks about how the night went, we finally made it back to the hotel room. There we chilled, made TikToks, and enjoyed some clean, clear, and sober-minded fun.

Zachary Gleghorn –
Hours passed and we figured it was time to go back to the hotel, it was already 12 a.m. Once we arrived, we relaxed and talked about how our night went. At 1:30 a.m. I told my crew ‘let’s go,’ so I dropped off everyone and proceeded to go home.