For one of the first times in the school’s history, Prom will take place on a half day: Friday, May 20, the same day as senior graduation rehearsal.

This year’s Prom will be held at the Lincolnshire Marriott—for the first time in seven years—from 6:30p.m to 10:30p.m According to Ryan Rubenstein, assistant principal, logistical issues forced the administration to move Prom to May 20, as it was one of the only days open in the venue. While the scheduling will require extra work from the administration, Rubenstein says he “does not expect [graduation rehearsal] to interfere with Prom.”

While Rubenstein is not worried about the scheduling, many juniors and seniors are upset about Prom being moved to a Friday. According to a Bear Facts Survey of 146 students, about 73% of students who plan to attend Prom are unhappy about the change. However, according to Katerina Vasquez, Junior Board member, while Prom may look a little different than in years past due to a different schedule and location, she does not believe that the unusual timing will interfere with the experience as long as students plan ahead.

“I know some students [juniors] were talking about leaving school early on [May] 20th to get ready for Prom, but I don’t think that [the timing] will be an issue,” Vasquez said.

Similar to in years past, students will have to take buses to and from Prom, meaning that students will have to arrive at the high school on time and stay at Prom until buses leave. Students will be able to choose their buses and sit with their friends on their way to and from Prom.

“I know that it’s for safety, and that coach buses are really expensive, but it does feel a bit informal,” Julia Borek, senior, said. “I know girls who spent hours picking out dresses and getting them styled and fited, so I taking school buses to Prom feels a bit wrong for them.”

While Prom rarely takes place on a Friday, Prom itself is going to look normal for the first time since 2019—students are expected to arrive at the high school by 5:45p.m and take buses to the Lincolnshire Marriott, where a sit-down dinner will be served at 6:30p.m.

“For the past six months, [the junior board] has been planning everything: we decided on the food that’s going to be there, the location, the theming [a Night in Chicago], right now we’re organizing buses and favors,” Vasquez said. “I’m very much looking forward to Prom[…] I don’t really know what [Prom] was like last year, but I think it’s going to be a great change.”

While some students are upset about buses and scheduling, this year’s Prom should be a nice for seniors unsatisfied with last year.

“These last couple years have been weird, but I believe that we’re looking at our [first normal] prom in three years,” Rubenstein said.

Last year, Prom was held in tents outside the tennis court, which means that the Class of 2022 has not had a normal Prom yet. According to Borek, some of the people who did attend last year’s Prom said that it was fun, but weird, as students had to be rotated in and out of different locations as a safety measure.

“I didn’t go to Prom last year,” Borek said. “I didn’t want to pay that much money for a prom that wasn’t even the real deal[…] so I’m really glad that we’re getting a real [Prom] this year.”