Academy Life staff members Aden Weiser and Grace Harrison prepare for a fun night at Prom. (Photo/Aden Weiser’19).
Senior Aden Weiser, a 3-year staff writer, including the sports co-editor for The Academy Life, pays tribute to Prom 2019.
Most of us can agree that this year’s prom did not go as planned.
After we arrived at the Toy Barn for a seemingly fun dance, we quickly discovered that jumping, most people’s move of choice, caused the floor to shake in ways that made us scared the building would collapse. We then discovered that we were exacerbating the problem by standing in a concentrated area, putting too much weight on a floor that it couldn’t bear. To make matters worse, even when we separated, the weight was still too much, and underclassmen were forced to go downstairs to relieve some of the pressure.
Most people (understandably) started to complain. As people cracked jokes about the situation and started to question when they could leave, the dance floor was left for dead. Some attempted to make the best of things, trying to dance outside or get their friends moving. Eventually, though, most people considered the dance a bust and decided to head out.
Surprisingly, this is where a dance took a turn for the better. The seventy-some people that remained at the venue, including prom committee members, were determined to salvage what they could of the night. Without the pressure of so many students on the dance floor, those who stayed boogied it up more than enough for those who left. Everyone was dancing intently, and the entire group, including Mr. Losambe, got in on a massive dance circle: another highlight of he evening.
This last part of the prom happened to be my favorite high school dance experience of the last four years.
Typically, I often feel isolated at dances because my musical tastes don’t align at all with what’s being played, and I find it impossible to get in the groove and dance with others. This time, however, the tenacity of my peers in trying to make the night special helped me feel the most comfortable I’ve ever been on the dance floor. To that, I thank them. The survivors of that mass exodus brought an amazing positive energy to dance floor room that normally evades me.
On that note, the members of student council and prom committee, including Ms. Stout, Ms. Eden, and Mr. Losambe, all deserve a massive round of applause. No one could have predicted the struggles that would happen that night, not even the owners of the event venue. It is heartbreaking to think that all of the hard work they put in was wasted because of something outside of their control. They fought, and succeeded, to make the night one to remember well, not one to be memorialized in infamy. All of their hard work left those who stayed long enough feeling satisfied with their dance experience.
This is a perfect example of the best side of the Academy community. Although we were faced with a roadblock that was seemingly unfixable, the students and faculty there managed to reorganize and create something memorable and unique, despite its pitfalls.
Everyone who put in the work to adapt to these circumstances did so because they wanted to see success. They were in quest of the “best prom” they could have. They achieved that with flying colors.
Congratulations on a great prom experience, regardless of how it happened.
Author’s Note: Thank you to all my readers for the past three years of article-writing. It has been a joy learning about Academy’s sports teams and culture, and even more of a joy sharing my knowledge with you all. I’m glad I get to end it on such a bright note. “A team is an it.”
