It’s that time of year: girls talk about dresses, people gossip about dates, and groups make special dinner plans. It’s the event in every classic high school movie—She’s All That, 10 Things I Hate About You, Mean Girls—prom! Since the advent of prom, many traditions have changed, like the usage of corsages, the different types of shoes people wear, the fashion of dresses, and more. Prom is meant to be a night of fun, but many students felt underwhelmed last year because the venue was Einer Anderson Stadium, Minnetonka High School’s field.
Prom usually has more unique venues and is way more hyped than Homecoming or Sweethearts, even though it can be “overly romanticized in media,” according to Zoe Garcia, ‘25. Arjen Thompson, ‘25, says prom is “a good way to end the year, send off seniors, give juniors more privileges as upperclassmen, and to have an exclusive event,” but students are continuously trying to create new traditions and make fun memories. For this year’s prom, groups have said they will rent boats to eat dinner on or go to fast-food restaurants to spice things up.
Many schools have a theme, and it would make the dance way more interesting and personal, but why doesn’t MHS have one? In the past, there used to be prom themes, including “Bungle in the Jungle,” as one alumnus, Marta Snow, ‘92, reported. This theme comes from a song by Jethro Tull, but it wasn’t appreciated as a prom theme because it was difficult to dress accordingly. This may have led to the death of prom themes in our school, but schools across the country have done themes such as Under the Sea, Starry Night, Fire and Ice, Masquerade, or even Black and White.
A theme would truly make prom a night to remember, with people dressing in a specific way and decorations setting the scene. But for now, MHS does not have a theme, so students can dress however they feel will make the night as memorable as possible.
