Graduation is an extremely emotional time for most seniors. Not only does it signify the transition towards independence, it also serves as a reminder that you are about to be abruptly cast out into a new community void of virtually any friends or family.

Illustration by Monique Askeland

Illustration by Monique Askeland

The senior Prom is thus a summative celebration of the past several years. In this light, the drawbacks that engulf Prom such as the cost and stress can then be shrugged off due to the sentimentality and gravity of the event and what it represents.

But from the perspective of a junior, the pros of Prom don’t come close to outweighing the cons. First of all, Prom is fiscally draining. Whether it be a tux or a dress, a limo or a bus, a corsage or a boutonniere, JD or Smirnoff, it’s hard not to feel perplexed when the whole thing is over, wondering how all of that money could possibly go into one night.

It doesn’t make sense to go through all of the effort and stress for an event that’s only meant to acknowledge being three-fourths done with high school. For juniors, Prom is a built up event that ultimately isn’t even celebrating anything.

So why go? The only part of prom that juniors look forward are the after-parties because they have virtually as much meaning to them as Prom itself does. For seniors, Prom itself is one of the last uniform gatherings experienced with classmates.

Only in recent Redwood history were the once separate junior/senior Proms combined. Although it is understandable that both Proms cannot be run due to budget cuts, a combined Prom does not make sense. Juniors should be completely cut out of the equation of Prom, unless they are the date of a senior. If anything, a small-scale dance would suffice for juniors, simply to mark the end of the year.

There’s little meaning in the event as a junior. For seniors, drawn out festivities are understandable considering they are actually celebrating something. But for a junior, why put so much time into it when you’re going to return to see your friends the following year? Prom stresses people out, strains relationships and saps money for a festivity that is going to be overshadowed by the senior year Prom anyway.

Imagine looking around Prom as a senior, seeing people in your grade ranging from the kid who was in your science class freshman year to your closest friend. Do you want that to include some junior you have no idea even existed? Every high school class has a bond, even the kid who was in your science class freshman year. A diluted junior/senior Prom makes the message seem more like an end of the year dance, as opposed a part of graduation for seniors.

Prom is supposed to be an experience for seniors to celebrate having gone through the process of high school together amidst the formal ceremony. But having juniors included takes away from the senior experience. Having an all-senior Prom would make it that much more of a sentimental and impactful experience.