Twinkling lights. Buffets. Endless music. A venue filled with dresses, jumpsuits and dancing. Here comes prom. Archer’s 2022 junior and senior prom took place from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at the Jonathan Beach Club. As the date approached, juniors and seniors shared their feelings, hopes and outfits for the event.

“I’m very excited. At first I didn’t want to go,” senior Sophia Farmer said. “But I think it’s just a great opportunity because we’ve been virtual for so long and we finally have an event that our whole grade and the juniors can go to, and just be together during the end of the year.”

This prom was the first traditional one held since 2019, prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, a seniors-only prom adaptation was held at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum with mask and social distancing requirements. The event this year provided a place for Archer students to socialize beyond the campus walls, and students were allowed to bring a guest.

“Just in terms of socialization, I think it’s going to be a fun night,” junior Zoe Griffin said. “I’m really excited to see all of the seniors and a lot of my friends in not an ‘Archer-y’ place because I don’t normally see that, and so I think it’d be nice to see everybody get fancy.”

Junior Marin Terry echoed Griffin’s statement and said that the chance for the two grades to come together is exciting because they usually don’t have combined social events.

“I think two grades coming together just being able to celebrate having gotten through here together [is exciting] because oftentimes 11th grade feels separated. But now we get to come together,” Terry said.

Excitement for dressing up and preparing for the event was a shared feeling amongst seniors. At the combined grade prom, juniors traditionally wear shorter dresses while seniors wear longer or floor-length dresses.

“I’m wearing an old dress from my mom so I didn’t have to shop, but I did shop for shoes and that was really fun,” senior Naya Ben-Meir said. “I think that was just a fun, girly thing that I got to do. I also think planning the whole day and what I’m going to do with my friends was fun.”

After the announcement about prom being held this year, both juniors and seniors created class Instagram accounts for students to send in their prom outfits. Farmer planned on wearing a green satin dress with silver heels.

“I had a lot of fun finding my dress, just because I am really into fashion,” Farmer said. “I’m really looking forward to just being with my friends and having a good time.”

A follow-up piece will share seniors and juniors’ reactions and takeaways from the event.