Camila Jackson – Let Students Leave Prom Early

As preparations for prom begin, and students start to plan how they will get ready, where and when pictures will be taken, and where groups will go for dinner, there has also been much discussion about the time frame of prom. 

Though prom opens at 7:00 and officially starts at 8:30, Cathedral has decided that students must stay until 10:30 and are not permitted to leave any time before. Like many others, I believe that students shouldn’t be required to stay that long. 

For one, prom is supposed to be a celebration, not an obligation. I know that students have spent a lot of time and money preparing for a night they want to enjoy. By forcing them to stay the entire time can take away from that experience, making it feel less like a special event and more like something they are required to attend.  

Most of the excitement of prom comes from the plans that surround it, especially the after-prom events. Whether that is going to some sort of social gathering or just going home, these experiences are the things that make the night more memorable. Since students only attend prom once or twice in their lives, limiting their ability to continue the course of their night takes away from what should be a one of a kind experience. 

Also, there are some students who simply don’t like staying in crowded places for a long amount of time. Many people feel tired, overwhelmed, or anxious from all the constant movement, conversation, and noise. Having the option to leave earlier would make others feel more comfortable and still look back on that night and remember how much they enjoyed it. 

Another reason why students should leave earlier is that the day can turn very long when they are forced to stay until 10:30. Students will have to spend two hours at the event and that doesn’t even include the time they had to wait and get ready, before they even entered the venue. They had to get ready, take pictures, meet with their friends, go eat dinner, and drive there, then stay for two hours and drive to wherever they are headed for the night, making the day very long and tiring, rather than something exciting and fun. Senior Ingrid Cardoza said, “I have been preparing for this night for so long, so why shouldn’ t we have some say in when we can leave? Making us stay until 10:30 is going to make the night feel so long instead of fun.”

A more reasonable time to let students leave would be 9:30, allowing for more flexibility while also making sure that the students actually attend the event. Prom should be a day where students can create memories, and giving them control over their night would definitely make that experience more enjoyable for everyone.

Yohali Castro – Students Should Stay Until Prom Ends

Students at Cathedral have started planning for prom day. But, many students are upset at the rule that mandates students to stay at prom until 10:30, but this rule that has caused much chaos and irritation is all about how a student perceives it. Realistically, staying until 10:30 is not at all as awful as students make it sound. 

The day of prom is the one time a year when a student is able to dress up in a nice dress or suit with their hair nicely styled. This nationwide event is the night that hundreds of thousands of students look forward to for months.

With this being said, many students start getting ready with their group of friends. This time before getting to prom is such a unique and fun experience that is anticipated by students. Students will range in their time getting ready, some will take about 2-3 hours while others spend more than 4 hours to get ready for the big night. 

Along with the hangout that revolves around getting ready for prom, it is also common for students to gather up and take photos before arriving at prom. This adds another 1-2 hours to the planning of pre-prom. In total, a student takes at least 3 if not more hours to get ready for prom. 

So if it takes at least three hours for a student to get ready for prom, they might as well stay the entire time of prom to show off their dress, suit, hair, and/or makeup that they took so long to do. It would be such a waste of the students’ time if they were allowed to show up to prom and leave at whatever time they desired. 

With this being said, another reason why students should stay at prom until 10:30 is because this is the night that students have dreamed about for some years. As underclassmen, students overhear the upperclassmen talk about prom all the time, adding to the anticipation of it. An underclassman will dream of the day of prom, so why not just stay the entirety of the event?

A student at Cathedral is only given two opportunities to go all out for prom, so they might as well stay for the entire night until 10:30, the party will be there no matter what time a student gets there.