With the year coming to an end, many Flint Hill students are stressed out over AP tests, finals, and wrapping up all of the work they’ve done throughout the school year. Many underclassmen are dreading their Senior friends leaving the school at the end of the week to work on their Senior Projects, and Seniors themselves are facing the approaching fact of their high school graduation and the beginning of a new stage in their lives. However, these last few months aren’t all big changes and exam stress; Junior and Senior students alike are looking forward to Prom, which this year falls on Tuesday, June 3rd.
This year, the theme of our prom is “Enchanted Night,” and it will be taking place at Crystal View in Fairfax. Crystal View is a luxury venue, hosting events from corporate meetings to galas to weddings to, of course, proms. A quick Google search of Crystal View shows it is perfectly suited to this year’s theme, with fairytale-esque white marble architecture and plenty of graceful decor.
However, the choice of a breathtakingly luxurious venue has one glaring side effect: the price. Tickets this year will cost $60 for seniors and $65 for juniors and guests. Many students, especially those from the junior class, are dissatisfied with such high prices. “Why do we have to pay 65 dollars just to go?” says one junior student who wishes to remain anonymous, “It’s dumb.” For some students, the financial loss is enough to dissuade them from going all together. Another junior, who also wishes for their name to remain hidden, says, “I’m just not going this year…I’m not paying 65 dollars just to stand there in a dress I will wear once in my life and then shove into the depths of my closet.”
The bulk of ticket revenue is used to finance the venue itself. “Venues are expensive,” says Mr. Howard Chang, the Upper School Dean of Students, who is involved in the process of planning the prom, “and prices have gone up.” According to Mr. Chang, the fees of some of Flint Hill’s prior prom location choices have more than doubled in the last five years. Many students are accepting of the price tag on prom, given the benefits it comes with. “It was cheaper last year than it is this time,” says Senior Divya Bhungalia when asked about her feelings on the cost of attendance, “but I think it’s alright if the venue’s good.”
Another frequent question that arises in anticipation of Flint Hill’s prom is why it takes place so late in the year. This year, prom falls on June 3rd, whereas many other schools host their dances in mid-May or even late April. According to Mr. Chang, a late event date is something of a Flint Hill tradition. “It’s been this way since as long as I’ve been here, and that’s nineteen years,” he says, when asked about the school’s unorthodox choice.
The main problem with a late prom is that some students may be forced to miss it entirely due to their families taking an early vacation. Since exams finish up before the 3rd, there is nothing stopping the families of Juniors, whose presence is not required at Commencement, from beginning their summer break, thereby depriving some Juniors of their first prom opportunity. Unfortunately, this problem is not one that can be fixed by Flint Hill administrators or the prom planning committee, and those who care about their Junior prom will have to negotiate with their families for later vacation start times.
The June prom date does offer one major upside, despite its inconvenience: freedom from stress. In other schools, students attend proms in the days approaching or in the midst of their exam seasons, making it hard to fully enjoy the dance while tests loom overhead. At Flint Hill, in contrast, exams conclude well before prom rolls around, allowing students to enjoy it without any lingering thoughts of academics, making it the last hurrah of school before the official start of Summer Break.
Prom is one of the most glorified and ubiquitous parts of the high school experience, being shown in movies and shows as the peak of teenage life. Whether or not the idea of prom supremacy is entirely true, Flint Hill’s events over the past few years have provided fun evenings for the students involved, in large part due to the organizational efforts of the school’s administration and Student Council. Under their guidance, this year’s dance promises to be no different, and upperclassmen should look forward to the night that lies ahead of them.