As Spring begins, prom season is right around the corner. Morgan’s juniors and seniors are preparing for the big event. This year, the junior prom is on May 3, 2024. The dance will run from 6-10pm and will be at Amarantes, in New Haven, CT. Tickets will be on sale from March 25 to April 3 and are $80 each if paying with check or cash, and $85 with a card. The junior prom will be Tangled themed.
Senior prom will be held on May 17, 2024, at Bill Miller’s Castle in Branford from 6-10pm. Tickets for senior prom will be sold after Swoosh for Change, beginning April 29th. Swoosh for Change is the senior class’ biggest fundraiser and will be hosted on April 26th at 6pm in the Morgan gym. Tickets will be $75 each.
Prom is planned by Morgan’s student government with help from their class advisers. The junior class advisers are history teacher Diana Rizzo and math teacher Jessica Lynch. The senior class advisers are school social worker Maureen Tranquilli and technology education teacher Jessica Mularski.
Many students begin preparing for prom months in advance. Girls often begin shopping for dresses beginning in January. Many shop at A’s Unique Boutique in Guilford, or Atianas Boutique in Milford, but it isn’t always easy to find the perfect dress. Senior AJ Luke said, “I feel like there are no new dresses and everything seems so repetitive.” I bought my dress for this year’s senior prom from Atianas. The staff was very friendly and helpful, but it did get very crowded. Online dress shopping from sites such as Revolve, and Lulus has also become more popular in the past couple years. Senior Emma Champagne who bought her junior prom dress from Revolve said, “They have a bunch of different options and also a good return policy, so if you don’t like it, it’s really easy to return.” Some may also borrow dresses from friends or siblings. The day of prom, some plan to get their hair and makeup done professionally, and some opt to do it themselves at home. Students drive themselves to prom, but some friend groups get together and rent cars or buses to transport them to the venue.
Prom planning begins the year before, the week after the previous year’s dances. During student government meetings, the sophomores, and freshmen listen to the planning to get an idea of what they will be working on in the future. Senior Class President Sean Davis was in charge of researching venues. He looks through what previous venues we have used or places nearby schools have used. Sean said, “This year our options were Bill Millers, Anthony’s Ocean View, and Saint Clements Castle.” Class advisers reach out to all the venue options and compare prices, and what they include. The venue is chosen mainly based on price and distance. Bill Miller’s includes decorations and food in their price, so we don’t need to worry about extra expenses in those areas. President of student government, Leah Scoppa said, “We have a lot of meetings to determine all the details about a DJ, food, and financing.”
Typically the week before prom, administration will have an assembly with the students attending prom. They will talk about expectations, safety, and timing. The day of prom, class advisers visit the venue to make sure everything is set up for that night. They see where the DJ booth will go, and make sure there are enough tables. Sean said, “In student government, we all agree on most things or take a group vote. If there is a big disagreement though it will come down to seniority or your role.”
