Prom. Virtually every high school has one. It is that highly anticipated night that everyone looks forward to their entire high school career. It is finding your dream dress, spending hours to achieve flawless hair and makeup, and dancing the night away with that special someone. This is prom for some and for others it’s a night for gigging with friends and looking reasonably fancy. Certain dreamers have prom in a very Narnia-esque fantasy land and others view prom very differently. All in all, it is a different experience for everyone. Bellarmine Prom 2013 on May 5 was meant to be a memorable night for everybody, and I think that it accomplished just that.

I was fortunate enough to be a part of the prom committee this year and make this wonderful night possible. If I didn’t respect what ASB did behind the scenes before, I certainly do now because I got to witness all the hard work they put in to make this night special. Waking up early for meetings on Tuesdays was fun because I got to be with such wonderful people. Lead by our creative, organized and fantastic junior ASB representatives with the assistance of a smattering of lovely juniors who wanted to take part and teacher Jim Dempsey as moderator, Prom committee was a fantastic experience.

As part of tradition, pictures are a necessity to a successful prom, and I believe they were a hit. Hopefully, many of you took advantage of the pictures before the line got too lengthy, unlike myself, as it certainly took a while. I don’t recommend taking two separate pictures and waiting for an hour and a half for future reference. However, I thought the wait was worth it. The backgrounds were all lovely and there was a great selection to choose from. The pictures all printed in great quality too. If you didn’t have the mental discipline to wait in line, the photo booth pictures were really fun too. Being able to take the picture yourself and having props at your disposal made things enjoyable. I hope at least one person utilized quality props like the sombrero or Neville Longbottom’s wand to enhance their picture taking experience. If not, I mean that’s your loss.

I would also like to take a moment to appreciate the music that was chosen for the evening. A couple of classics and all-time favorite songs of mine came on over the course of the evening. Don’t Stop Believin’, although somewhat difficult to dance to, was a hit, along with Ignition Remix, which made my entire night. Although I was not out on the dance floor for long, I know there were many who danced for the entire night and had a fantastic time.

Often times in an environment such as Prom, it is difficult to focus on anything other than the loud music, finding all your friends, or how attractive your date happens to look without making your head spin. However, I do hope that a person or two took time to smell the roses. If you ever took a time-out from the dance floor, I hope you noticed that Skyfall was playing for the full extent of the evening for your entertainment. If you ever found yourself mulling around trying to find your friends, I hope you glanced at the shiny motorcycle propped up in the foyer, or the colorful beta fish randomly scattered about the venue. In addition, the poker tables were available to any who wanted to take a break from the crowd. Lastly, I hope each and every one of you had a chance to utilize the chocolate fountain to your heart’s content.

Prom 2013 has come and gone. That highly-anticipated night dedicated to dressing up, dancing, and making memories with your friends…the stuff movies are made of. Every person’s experience is different, but hopefully it was a positive one. Some highlights of prom for me were juniors Molly Bordeaux and Brian Ward unofficially declaring themselves Prom king and queen, and senior Calvin Chandler’s light up bow-tie. I’m certain the highlights of Prom for others were unique and interesting as well. I hope that the venue, decorations, music, pictures and everything else that makes prom special, lived up to your expectations, because many of your fellow classmates and teachers worked their hardest to make it a wonderful night. Prom is not always magical, but it should be a night to remember. I hope that it was just that, memorable for everyone.