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Long-Awaited Senior Prom Proves to be a Success

written by Chloe Hsy

photographed by Christina Mullarkey, Eli Kry, and Chloe Hsy

Friday night, the senior prom marked one of the first and last senior events of the 2021 school year. Set to an Enchanted Forest theme, the soccer field was lit by spherical lights of varying blue and purple pastels. Vines and bundles of flowers dangled from the wire fences and provided the backdrop to the photobooth.

Towards the back half of the field, a disco ball was suspended from a metal frame supporting spotlights and outlining the would-be dance floor. A DJ table and screen promoting M-A spirit were nearby, the latter providing entertaining images of blimps, stadiums, and even a few psychedelic-esque wormholes.

Colorful lights frame and a disco ball hangs above the dance floor.

An unexpected highlight of the night was the arrival of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. The satellites flew by in a string of lights providing a dazzling display which caused a stir among the crowd.

For those less inclined for the dance floor, there were tables lit with fairy lights and candles, cookies and pizza, and connect-four. Students made what they could out of the three hour event, some neglecting the leadership sanctioned activities entirely. Serena Peters said, “My friends and I aren’t too big on the whole ‘dancing’ thing nor the loud music, so my favorite part of prom was the nearly hour-long game of charades we played.”

But for all the cautionary PPPPPPPRRRRRRRRROOOOOMMMM emails, there was an obvious lack of social distancing that went ignored by staff and students alike. The dance floor was as crowded as any other dance has been, and Natalia Seniawski commented that while “luckily a lot of seniors have been at least partially vaccinated, I think people could have been better at keeping masks on.” The tables were quickly rearranged for large groups to sit together, and the food corner featured many students eating maskless in a close area. Rules concerning COVID-19 safely were not the only ones broken with many-a-pair of heels spotted and the threatened breathalyzer also notably absent.

The night gradually came to a close with a slow-dance song played at the 10:30 mark. A staple at several middle school dances, John Legend’s 2015 hit ‘All of Me’ saw couples and friends alike take to the dance floor once more.

As the year to top all others is finally coming to an end, seniors can only hope for the best in the weeks to come. In a way, this prom echoed the themes that have run through this past year; students are making this year their own in whichever ways they can. While it isn’t the Academy of Sciences, from charades to connect-four to slow-dancing to rap songs, the students found ways to enjoy the night and everything that came with it.

Here are some pictures from the night:

Senior boys mess around with the provided blow-up unicorns.
Students engaged in lively chatter all over the dance floor.
M-A seniors donned outfits of various colors, styles, and cuts.
One senior shows off her awesome dress.
Two friends smile through their masks for the camera.
Four senior boys pose for the camera in the photo booth.
Created By
Chloe Hsy
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