Written by Abbey Norton |
Photos from Jordyn Suraci, Mrs. Robinson, and Abbey Norton |

Senior Prom is right around the corner. On May 18th, the class of 2017 will attend prom at Water’s Edge in Westbrook. They will be treated to a night of dancing, good food, an overlook of the water, and… Husky Helper Day?

At the end of their junior year, this year’s Seniors voted on their prom venue. Mrs. Robinson created a Google Form. “There was a Google Doc that went out for all Seniors to fill out,” said Mrs. Robinson. 91.1% of Seniors voted for Thursday prom, while only 8.9% voted against it, as shown to the right.

Since Junior year, the rules for prom and the day after have changed. Originally, the Seniors were told they would be able to come in at 11 am the next day, which most Seniors thought was reasonable. Now, Seniors are expected to come in at 9 am, and if they do not, there will be repercussions. “You have to attend Husky Helper Day in order to attend the Senior field trip,” Senior Karla Rivadeneira says.

Husky Helper Day is a day of service and volunteering to various organizations in Clinton and around the shoreline. Students will choose an organization and help throughout the school day. Husky Helper Day is Friday, May 19th.

Prom is known for its afterparties, and a lot of students are angry that they are being restricted from having fun. “It is naive of them to think that students are not going out after prom. Prom. Being on a Thursday won’t stop that!!! I think they screwed us over,” said Senior Emily Sordo.

Mrs. Robinson argues that the rule is justified. “If you decide that you for some reason can’t make it into school the next day, that’s fine, but you forego your day out of school to go on the Senior trip,” Mrs. Robinson said.

Opinions have changed since the poll Junior year. Some students believe the form they were sent did not tell the whole truth. Senior Autumn Johnson said, “I think the form was EXTREMELY biased. They told us what we wanted to hear and changed the rules and regulations along the way. I find that so unfair and it upsets me that we were told false information.”

Some Seniors like the fact that they have a Thursday prom. “I just felt like a Thursday prom was better. My opinion is not different,” said Michael Le.

Other Seniors understand the anguish but feel as if the Thursday prom will still be fun. Senior Jenna Morello said she “thought that having a prom on Thursday sounded like a good idea when it was first brought up. The tickets were cheaper. We had a nice venue, and we were told we would get to come in late the next day. The only thing I am disappointed about is that we were told that we would be able to come in at 11 the day after prom, but now that time has changed to 9 (which is the normal time seniors with A period come in on a block day). I think 9 is a bit too early to come in the next day, but other than that I think the Thursday prom is fine.”

Even though Seniors are allowed to come in at 9, underclassmen still have to come in at the normal time. “If anything, I feel bad for people who are underclassmen that get invited because they get the short end of the stick of having to be here on time,” Mrs. Robinson said. Underclassmen: make sure not to stay out too late! Although you will not receive any repercussions for not attending school, you are still expected to attend school the next day.

A new Google Form was sent out to the Seniors about prom. As of now, only 22.9% of the class is happy about Thursday prom. One Senior, Zach McCray, was in disbelief about the 91.1% vote in the previous Form. “There’s no chance that 91% of us voted for Thursday, you’re lying,” he says. In the new form, 57.1% of Seniors said they were not aware of the rules and regulations while voting. 40% believe the form they originally voted on was biased. That might not seem like much, but 22.9% do not remember voting. The opinions on senior prom have greatly changed since the class has become aware of the new rules.

No matter what, Seniors will have a great time at prom. This is the last prom they will attend with their classmates. Just make sure to get some rest, Seniors, you have a long Friday ahead of you!