Northside’s Junior Prom held at W Hotel on Lake Shore Drive
by Will Riley

One of the most heralded and anticipated events of the year for Northside’s juniors – the 2010 Junior Prom – was held on Saturday night, May 22, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the W Hotel downtown on Lake Shore Drive. Excitement had built essentially from the moment the homecoming dance ended months ago, and prom proposals were frequently a major topic of discussion in the halls. Guys set about renting tuxedos and girls created Facebook groups to share who was wearing which dress. When the night of the event finally arrived, attendees walked past a giant blue W shimmering as water from a fountain spilled over it and into the lobby, where they took an elevator to the top-floor swanky dance club.

The dance floor was centered in the middle of a circular room with a 360-degree view of the city, downtown and lakefront. Food was being served on either side, and it consisted of mini grilled cheese sandwiches with cocktail dipping sauce, mini-cheeseburgers and mini-hotdogs, macaroni and cheese, pastry puffs containing chicken, and French Fries dipped in truffle oil. An official prom photo booth was located immediately to the left of the entrance on the 33^rd floor. Attendees initially socialized, took photos, and ate before heading to the dance floor about an hour into the night.

Event organizers, led by Michelle DiMuzio, Adv. 100, had been working on coordinating this night for months.

“We started planning prom in September and our first step was to find a venue, so we visited three different places that were within our budget and ended up going with the W,” DiMuzio said. “Once we figured out how much everything was going to cost, we made a budget plan and fundraised for awhile.”

Part of the cost of prom was covered by the fifty-dollar ticket price, the maximum allowed by the administration for junior prom. The junior prom committee sold tickets, around 170 in total, outside the lunchroom during all lunch periods. Some people ended up paying 100 dollars for two tickets, though: one for them and one for their date. Others paid the price of one ticket and went with a large group of friends, who split the cost of transportation – a limousine – down to the W Hotel.

“Guys shouldn’t be forced to [pay for their dates’ tickets to prom], but in the whole manner of being a gentleman, I think they should,” Geo Gomez, Adv. 105, said. “If they don’t have the money, though, you shouldn’t make them pay.”

Additional funding was provided in the form of a $1,000 grant from Student Council. Still, the junior prom committee had to drain the funds left over from junior prom last year and had to do fundraising. No matter the costs associated with junior prom, which are always relatively large, response seemed to be generally quite positive.

“The room had a really great view and I think the planning of it was nicely done,” Gabi Peters, Adv. 106, said. “I give them props.”

Ezra Lampson, also of Adv. 106, echoed that sentiment.

“The W Hotel is a really classy place, and they have some of the fanciest bathrooms I’ve ever been in,” Lampson said.

The bathrooms lack doors, and users instead enter through a beaded curtain. The lobby bathrooms also have windows inside the actual bathroom that allow one to look into the opposite sex’s bathroom. A placard in the men’s room reads, “Smile, wave, or meet her outside.”

All the attendees looked their classiest on the dance floor. Many guys were wearing tuxedos, and the overwhelming majority of girls opted for short skirts.

“For junior prom, short dresses [are better] because they are not as fancy,” Daisy Belden, Adv. 202, said.

Other students also seemed to indicate a distinct difference between junior and senior prom in terms of fanciness.

“I guess [attire] would differ for senior prom, but for junior prom definitely just stick with a suit because it’s just junior prom,” Gomez, who himself wore a suit, said.

The music selection was by DJ Marke, and consisted of mostly fast dance club songs with only two slow dances mixed in.

“Picking a DJ was a big step because we initially picked one that was out of our budget range,” DiMuzio said. “We ended up going with the homecoming DJ.”

One of the two slow dances was for the Prom King and Queen, who were announced towards the end of the night. Attendees were allowed to vote for one of three couples when they first entered the dance room by placing a marble in their favored bucket, which was labeled with the couple’s names. After the marbles were tallied, Queen went to DiMuzio and King went to her boyfriend, Spencer Kennedy, Adv. 110.

“Winning Prom King was pretty royal, but you really cannot be king of something unless you have a great land to rule,” Kennedy said. “The best part is that you’re not king of all the people around you, you’re king with them.”

Prom doesn’t act so kindly to everyone, however. It can be a nerve-wracking event to some who struggle for dates.

“My mom and Luke Drase and Michael Myer were my dates to prom,” Edward Heffernan, Adv. 105, said. “Looking for a date to prom was draining, but I still brought my dancing shoes and I still went out there on the dance floor and gave it my all, and that’s what counts.”

Now that the long-awaited event is over, some are already turning their sights to senior prom.

“I will probably be prom head next year, and we are going to start working over the summer and we really look forward to any help we can get,” DiMuzio said. “Anyone that wants to join prom committee for next year is totally welcome.”

Senior Prom 2011 will be held on Thursday night, June 9.