Prom has been a tradition for high school seniors and this year is no different.

Seniors this year are especially looking forward to the festivities due to spending time away during the pandemic. However, there is a problem that may mean there will be no event; seniors only recently just got a prom sponsor. 

In past years, teachers have been willing to sponsor and raise money for prom. Recently, teachers have been burned out due to staffing shortages and COVID-related challenges. Prom sponsors are usually teachers who are willing to spend the extra time without the extra pay to support their students’ endeavors.

Unfortunately, because the Class of 2022 prom sponsor was just appointed in January, this leaves many seniors concerned that planning and fundraising for prom is behind schedule. Prom is expensive and costs at least $30,000 for a fully functioning event. 

With a newly appointed sponsor so late in the year, seniors are less likely to raise the means needed to pay for the event. It will take a while to raise such money and we are already halfway through the year without any fundraiser started yet.

Several of my friends have expressed their excitement for prom, but few know how much work it takes to actually put on the event.

The students who know have expressed their disappointment that their hopes may not come to fruition. 

Prom is the one time of year students can feel celebrated and dress up to have fun. It also happens to be the last time some seniors can let loose with their friends before they graduate and go off to college. 

With the pandemic, seniors have missed out on almost two years of their high school experiences. Prom is the last big bonding event that allows seniors to hang out with their friends that they missed from the past. 

I personally wasn’t the biggest fan of prom, as I thought it was an overpriced dance. However, it’s a lot more important to me now. My view has shifted and I started to realize that I won’t have a chance to be with my friends in an environment that is free and fun, again.

The date for prom is set for May 7 at the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Austin: however, it’s unknown if we will be able to attain the necessary funds by then to have a full prom experience. 

As the year closes I hope that the senior class will come together to assist Prom Sponsor Claudia Arrellano and the Student Council, which has recently begun their planning and fundraising efforts. Get involved by attending a StuCo meeting on Thursdays in RM 114.

StuCo is considering prom fundraisers such as selling chocolate bars, bake sales, car washes, and restaurant nights. While it may seem minor, these types of events and fundraising have aided with prom funding and have made prom possible.