A highly anticipated upperclassmen-exclusive event of the year- prom. Many are in preparation by renting out tuxedos and switching from short to long dresses to participate in the formal dance that is present in all high schools toward the end of the school year.

From the perspective of a senior, several have mixed feelings about one of the last significant events in their high school career.

“I like at this time of the year just because it’s like, it’s more stressful but it’s also a lot more exciting, just because I know it’s going to go like super fast and be like, over, and it’s like having it be my last problem, even though like most people only go to,” Sophia Smolenski (12) said, “It just feels a lot like a much bigger moment. It feels more unknown like noteworthy, especially with everything that comes after it.”

A common pattern of stress can be shown in the planning process of prom for those who plan to attend.

“[Many are experiencing stress due to prom], but I feel like it shouldn’t [be stressful],” Alyssa Jackson (12) said.

Prom is an event planned entirely by Student Government members, specifically the junior class of 2024. Members of the class undergo a thorough and detailed process to present various ideas for the event itself.

Junior Class President Mezi Ahmed has been an active member in the steps to achieve a fully functioning prom for the benefit of students.

“I feel like one of the biggest things I try to do as Junior Class President is to make sure that it’s not just my ideas that are going through, it’s the entire like StuGo classes because obviously, they’re all in touch with different groups of people around the school,” Ahmed said, “So they’re bringing like, different perspectives and a lot of people have come with a lot of like, really good ideas. So my biggest thing is making sure those ideas come with a plan.”

Planning prom is a team effort at Smoky. Alongside Ahmed, the upperclassmen Student Body has been continuously working to create a final product.

“One of the first things we did was we came up with like, five or six themes split into groups of five. Everyone chose like one of them and then created a presentation based on that theme, and then presented it to the entire StuGo class, which for 3R is juniors and seniors. And then they voted on that,” Ahmed said.

“Enchanted to Meet You” or Enchanted Forest was the final theme chosen for Smoky Hill’s Prom 2023. This year, a spirit week and dress days will be included leading up to the dance. Events like “Shazam” and “Spikeball Tournament” will be held in the Lecture Center and Gyms. Dress Days include, “Green Out”, “Enchanted Twin Day”, “Vine Day”, “Tourist in the Forest” and “Sleeping Beauty Day”.