Dresses were soaked and tuxedos were equally damp. Rain was pouring down on all the students in line, leaving outfits soggy and wet; and yet, still the drippiest person of all within the entire establishment, was Jr. Allen Payne Jr.

   But Payne wasn’t the only one who went all-out for prom. In fact, just about everyone there looked truly amazing. The sensational outfit choices only contributed to the charming atmosphere, and there was something truly special about seeing classmates in the most polished attire possible.

   Although Allen Payne Jr. arrived fashionably late to the Civic Center, the party hadn’t really started until his arrival. Payne was turning heads walking through the door, with his eye-catching sparkly white suit. “I wanted to be out the box, you know,” said Payne. “You already know I had to be the best dressed there.”

   Students were already admittedly skeptical of the Civic Center location, but they stayed open-minded and hopeful for an exciting night.

   “It could’ve been more extravagant, to be honest,” says Jr. Grace Ward. “It would’ve been nice to travel a bit further, but it worked I guess.” Most students seemed to share Ward’s sentiment.

   Gradually, students began to make their way into the venue. Those who chose not to arrive at the cusp of 8 o’clock were faced with the unfortunate rain, as they stood patiently in a long and winding line.

   As juniors and seniors alike (and even some cheeky underclassmen) finally entered the building, they were greeted with bright, yellow lights and a roomy talking space. To the right was a garage filled with mediocre party games atop a concrete floor; however, if students ventured a little further, they discovered the true prize of the night: the gym and dance floor.

   As students walked into the gym, a big array of letters spelling out “Hollywood” was propped up along the wall, with spotlights illuminating the area. And although the lighting was less than optimal, students still rushed to take pictures in front of the letters anyway.

   As usual, the dance floor was entirely dead for the first hour or so of the dance, apart from a few rowdy students. People began to slowly congregate along the floor as time went on, and the energy in the room began to flare up, until reaching a peak later in the night.

   Within the roomy talking space was a decent bit of furniture to lounge on, when students needed time to chill. A photo booth also stood near the fireplace, to capture the moment.

   If students chose to venture up the staircase near the entrance, they found a tall balcony-like section along the outskirts of the dance floor gym. From this view, teachers, security, and creepy students alike had a perfect birds-eye view of the dance floor and stage.

   Also upstairs was the karaoke room, which peaked within the first 30 minutes of the dance, and remained rather empty the rest of the night. Students simply craved the party energy of the dance floor more than the karaoke room.

   After about an hour into the night, the dance floor had flooded with people, and the energy had skyrocketed. Students were finally starting to let loose, and enjoy themselves. Looking back, in between all the crazy dance moves and daredevilish stunts, it was all just a dazzling blur within the shadows of the dance room.

   The prom king and queen ceremony took place roughly halfway through the night. In a swift execution, administration prompted candidates onto the stage, announced the winners, and took candidates off the stage within roughly a minute. No time could be wasted to resume dancing.

   Sr. Ian Krueger and Sr. Meagan Rockafellow were crowned prom king and queen alike. “I’m happy that I won, especially since there were so many great people up there, so it feels like an honor,” said Krueger.

   Once the ceremony concluded, the partying continued immediately, and didn’t cease even through the final moments of the night. Throughout the entire dance, not a single slow song was played.

   Even when the DJ asked students whether they wanted to slow down the music or not, she was met with an unexpected uproar demanding more hype tunes. One of the most memorable moments of the night was a chant that broke out, in which students shouted “Chief Keef! Chief Keef! Chief Keef!” over and over again. Needless to say, prayers were answered that night, as the opening notes to Love Sosa subsequently began to ring violently throughout the dance room. Couples were left dissatisfied, but powerless against the partying mob.

   The crowd on the dance floor was incredibly dense with people, and students were getting a little touchy. Everyone was grouped within a large mass, and people would bounce back and forth against each other. Some students were even mistaken for others in the darkness of the dance room, or knocked over by the crowd.

   Near the end of the night, the most daring stunt occurred. A large circle had formed near the front of the gym, and a handful of students (who prefer to remain anonymous) had collected a chair from the side of the room and placed it in the middle of the circle. The resulting chaos included people being lifted off the ground in the chair, the chair being used as a dance accessory, and other various unspeakable acts.

   “Everyone quickly formed a circle around it and was stunned. Nobody really knew what to do with it. After a while, people started getting into it, and doing what they do, you know,” says Sr. Isaac Easter. “Kinda like a Jewish wedding, I got hoisted up on it, and the rest is history.”

   As the clock struck 11, students began to slowly but surely make their way out of the establishment. The water table was desolate, and the restrooms were full capacity. Other minor-scale battles ensued over the photobooth for a send-off reel.

   The prom of 2022 was certainly not one to forget. Between the wild chair stunts, the low-budget location, and the hysteria on the dance floor, it all seemed to somehow work out in the end. Students made the best with what they were given, and the night will surely be remembered for years to come.