Prom is arguably one of the most anticipated events of a student’s school career. Girls have an excuse to dress up, boys have an excuse to ask their crush out, and everyone has the opportunity to celebrate senior year. Weeks are spent pouring over every detail, dress fittings and party planning, but it all boils  down to one night.

One of the things that girls stress over the most is finding that perfect dress. It’s not as simple as walking into a dress store and picking a random one off the rack. Hours of trying on dozens of dresses is an integral part of the process to find the dress that fits just right.

“I spent the whole day looking for my dress,” senior Karis Smith said. “Two dress shops later, I finally found the one.”

For those who don’t have the time, or money to dedicate to the hunt of prom attire, it’s still important for them to feel special. College Park held a prom clothing drive just last week to help these students find what they were looking for.

“The prom clothing drive was really helpful for me,” senior Julyssa Villa Machado said. “I also spent hours in Goodwill. I ended up with two good options for only $15 each.”

There aren’t just individuals that are working towards making this night special, the Student Council has been working hard behind the scenes to make the dance itself a good time. The theme of Hollywood was painstakingly picked and the committee in charge of decorations insisted that they are sure to wow. 

“We’ve put a lot of time into this,” Student Council member Bethany Joseph said. “We don’t want to give too much away because we want seniors to feel special and surprised on the big day.”

People don’t just buy these nice clothes to go to the dance, there is a whole menagerie of activities that students plan to do before and after. Finding groups to hang out with and making diner reservations is just the tip of the iceberg. The students at College Park do not do anything in half measures.

“Me and a few friends are going to a hotel to get ready,” senior Emily Machac said. “We’ll eat and go to the dance, then we plan to go back to the hotel and spend the night.”

Prom is an excuse to feel special and for students to pamper themselves. While a fun night in a hotel with some friends is a good way to do that, it isn’t the only way.

“My group will do all the normal Prom things, photos, dinner, dance,” senior Colton Nolen said. “What I’m really excited for though is the ride down to Galveston. We’ll play sports on the beach and enjoy the weekend.”

There are so many different activities that students can do down in Galveston. Walk the beach, go shopping, visit other friends in their respective beach houses. The shining light that guides all the seniors in their prom planning hijinks, is that everyone is just looking to have a good time with some good friends. While many are going down to Galveston, there are groups that would prefer to stay closer to home. 

“We’re planning on having a quick meal before the dance, then spending Saturday in Houston,” Villa Machado said.