The Marsaline
April 26, 2022
For longer than this generation has been alive and well before the one prior, prom has been one of the biggest events for a high school student. Marshall High School has had trouble with putting on the dance for the past couple of years, as has every other high school since Covid-19 took over. But prom will not go down as a canceled event in the books this year.
Amanda Van Winkle and Danielle Callanan, both teachers at the high school level, have been working together to make prom as memorable as possible. The two have built a system in how they choose their theme for the night and work accordingly to bring their ideas to life.
Juniors participating in the Prom Committee picked the theme for the 2022 prom, which is titled “An Evening of Enchantment,” and will be held at Jackson’s Event Center on April 30. This year the walk-in will be live streamed on the Marshall Public Schools YouTube channel and was moved up an hour, now starting at 7 p.m.
“Everyone will get adequate lighting,” said Van Winkle. “Plus, you get one more hour of Prom.”
The weather also plays a factor in how walk-in will be set up. If rain decides to come as the walk-in is planning to start, walk-in will be moved indoors, where students will be able to enjoy being out of the rain.
“I can’t control the weather, Jackie,” Van Winkle joked, truly hoping the rain stays away until all students are under a roof.
The process of paying for everything that comes with prom starts at the beginning of the year, continuing until the week prior to the event. Juniors helping with the Prom Committee spend their time selling T-shirts and working concession stands as a way to raise money. The cost of prom tickets also goes into paying for the event, as junior tickets are $10 a person.
“Most schools charge up to $25-50 per person,” Van Winkle said, explaining how fortunate MHS is to be selling tickets for a lower price.
Prom guidelines, emailed to every MHS junior and senior on Feb. 23, provided all the information needed to answer basic questions for students attending the dance. All ticket information also was included in the document, including the notation about having tickets in hand as students arrive at Jackson’s Center.
“If you show up without your tickets, we will not be able to let you in,” said Van Winkle, “You’ll go home in your dress.”
The dress code for the event specifies that jeans are strictly prohibited, as it is a formal affair. Other activities also are prohibited, such as the use of drugs, alcohol and other illegal substances.
“Be ready to dance,” Van Winkle said, offering her advice on how to make prom the best experience it can be.
Decorating Jackson’s Event Center for the event is a task the Prom Committee helps with. The Friday before prom, students on the committee are excused from classes to help put their decorating skills to use.
Snacks provided at the dance are intended to be an assortment of finger foods such as cake pops, bagged chips, soda, water and other fun foods to keep the students energized on the dance floor.
“The first year we did food, we had a ton left over because no one ate it,” Van Winkle said.
Last year Van Winkle and Callanan, with help from the Prom Committee, put together something a little different from the previous years. The kids attending the dance all were given a Chinese lantern to light toward the end of the night and let go into the sky.
“It reminded me of ‘Tangled’. It was cute,” Senior Zoe Sherman said, “But not everyone understood how to light them correctly, and a few people almost caught fire.”
MHS graduate Evan Sappington thinks back on the experience.
“It was funny to watch Van Winkle stomp out all the lanterns that crashed into the ground,” said Sappington.
Because of the dangers that come with adding the element of fire to a group of high schoolers, this particular one-year tradition will not be carried on to the next.
“Fire and teenagers – never a good combination,” said Van Winkle.
High school prom may not seem as big a deal to adults dealing with other events in their lives. But for high school teens, it is their entire focus up until the date starred on their calendars. 2020 prom holds a special place in most MHS hearts, as it was delayed to late summer due to Covid-19. After being confined to their homes for months, the students of MHS celebrated freedom together as they danced the night away, staying until the last song played.
Junior Shylynn Brown delivers a prom ticket to Senior Logan Good during Owl Time. Seniors don’t have to pay for prom tickets, and the price for underclassmen is $10.