Liam Eifert – Children’s Museum (2023)

A prom venue can only do so much to elevate the experience. It will always be more about the experience than anything else. But, it does need to facilitate social interaction and allow students to enjoy their night. Last year, the location facilitated little more than betting and half-hearted dancing. The music was too loud for casual conversation throughout the entire venue ensuring many students had to lean in close to learn new casino games. The dance floor was tucked far away from the gambling area, leading to few students venturing out. No separation between the rest of the venue and the dance floor also created a lot of partial participation and too few students willing to immerse themselves in the music.

This year, the Children’s Museum was the polar opposite. The entrance plaza as the dance floor was a perfect hub for the main event while still providing a defined area for groovin’. The open exhibits and seating on the balcony overlooking the plaza provided students an area to converse without being drowned out by the music. Returning to the Children’s Museum to explore it again but now with high school classmates rather than elementary school ones established a perfect tone for what many consider to be high school’s crowning event. The nostalgia many feel at the location contributed to an utterly irreplicable night, the place itself as well as the people imbued with some meaning.

Senior Anna Elpers agreed, saying, “I thought it was genuinely really fun. I think it was a step up from last year especially because last year it was just a big room whereas this year there was at least stuff to do.”

Concerns over how spread out the venue was are overblown. Everybody knew where the main event was taking place, and those who wanted a less raucous night had options. Maybe it’s true that more might have danced had the locations been more restrictive. That ignores, however, that not everybody wants to show off their moves. Dancing isn’t for everybody, but prom should be.

Erin Emmick – Crane Bay (2022)

Let me make this clear first: I’m not huge on prom. It’s a stressful time filled with drama for a dance that lasts approximately two hours. That being said, I’ve attended my junior and senior prom at Cathedral these past two years. While this year was enjoyable, I have a few notes.

First of all, the exhibits open were limited and they all closed early. And someone can only search for dino bones for so long. In addition, I would not consider the carousel to be an exhibit. The only other activities in that “exhibit” were the mirrors, which was disappointing, and the various play sets. Although the carousel was entertaining, the line was long, and I only ended up riding it one time around. By the time I made it back up to the top floor, the line for the carousel was shut down.

Second of all, my feet HURT (and I wasn’t even wearing heels). Going up and down those ramps was killer, and what made matters even worse was that a couple of the floors weren’t open at all. I spent the majority of prom walking up and down looking for something to do, and by the time I found something, they were calling everyone back down to the dance floor and shutting down the exhibits.

Senior Hannah Barbee agreed, saying, “Last year’s venue brought everyone together more. More people were talking, more people were dancing. We were all together.”

Now, not to say the food wasn’t good (because the tater tots with cheese were INCREDIBLE), but last year’s food was ten times better. Not even forty minutes into the dance, they told me the ice cream had run out. The dessert… ran out… before the actual food did. Now, in their defense, little cups of ice cream were brought out later, but that did not diminish my disappointment at the time.

I will admit, last year was a bit dull for those of us that do not know how to play blackjack and other casino games, as that was really the only activity. However, the indoor/outdoor venue and the food made it so much better. Also… the DJ last year was far superior compared to the DJ this year. I appreciate the thought, but let’s maybe ditch the “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran immediately after the Black Eyed Peas. Anyways, for those that knew how to play blackjack and poker, I’m sure they had a better experience. Same for the Cathedral students that are 17-year-old archaeologists. Overall, despite the possible “blandness” of last year’s venue, I much prefer it to the disappointment that came with this year’s venue. I had high hopes for the Children’s Museum, don’t get me wrong. I didn’t go into it with a pessimistic attitude or anything. But, maybe open the Minecraft exhibit next time?