Georgetown’s high school seniors are less than a month away from graduating. But before students can celebrate in the caps and gowns, they’ll dress up in formal suits and fancy dresses for one last school shindig.
This year’s Georgetown High School prom takes place Friday, May 16, at the Sheraton Hotel. About 500 students are expected.
“Prom is one of those nights where everything just feels so exciting,” Senior Class President Nevaeh Medina said. “You get an excuse to dress up, be with your friends, and actually enjoy the moment without stressing about everything else. We can just be there and celebrate with the people who made high school so much better.”
The prom planning committee — including 20 students — meets regularly through the spring to help plan the occasion. This year’s theme — Hollywood Nights — will come with tasteful decorations, including movie posters and a student-made “Hollywood” sign in white foam letters.
Lauren Minton, a senior class sponsor, assists students with fundraising efforts all year. They’ve held spirit nights at restaurants, sold concessions at sports events and hosted a teacher vs. student basketball game. Ms. Minton estimated that they’ve raised about $10,000 for the prom.
“The venue itself — the Sheraton — think of it like a wedding. It is very expensive,” Ms. Minton said. “The ticket sales cover the cost of the venue, the fundraising really helps cover the cost of all the extra things.”
Some of those “extra things” include photo booths, casino tables for games, a DJ to spin tunes and various decorations. Casino tables were new last year, but a massive hit. Attendees compete for raffle tickets, which they can use to win prizes donated by local businesses.
“I think [prom is] just more expensive than it used to be, because of the photo op needs with social media today. Everything has to be a certain way,” Ms. Minton said. “But, at the end of the day, the kids are still enjoying this last senior moment with their friends.”
Ms. Minton said she sees more friend groups than couples attending prom together. When there is a couple, they are usually going with a larger group of friends who don’t all have dates. There are more single sale tickets than in previous years.
“I think seniors realize it's not just about the dance itself — it’s about the memories you make with the people you might not see every day after graduation,” Nevaeh said of her classmates. “It may not be perfect or exactly how you imagined, but it ends up being special because of who you spend it with.”
Since Ms. Minton went to her own prom back in 2004, and she’s noticed changes. There are less limos and party buses. Girls now get small bouquets rather than traditional corsages. Students also spend less time at the dance itself, and will attend for maybe an hour before going to do something else.
“Back in my day, we wanted to soak up every second of it.” Ms. Minton said. “It seems like now it’s more about getting the photo ops for social media, seeing our friends, seeing who gets crowned prom king and queen, and then we’re out.”
Prom king and queen are elected by the student body. Then, there is also Mr. and Ms. GISD, selected by teachers as a “high honor” for students who lead by example. This year, there will also be 15 Oscar statues with unique senior superlatives on them. One is, “Most Likely to be TikTok Famous,” for those interested in social media.