The Tenafly High School seniors, determined to at least have one normal senior event, had their prom on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. The prom took place at the Rockleigh Country Club, with over 340 guests seated outdoors under tents and indoors in the ballroom.

After a whole year of canceled events, it’s no surprise that everyone in their snappy tuxedos and sparkling dresses had smiles on their faces. Last year the 2020 senior prom was canceled due to the pandemic lockdown, so this year many Tenafly seniors didn’t know what to expect walking into prom. However, some seniors expected to see everyone being really excited to be with all of their friends and classmates for one of the last times they would see each other before they graduate. “It’s been a really hectic year, and we lost the opportunity to take part in so many events we’ve been waiting for, but I’m very thankful that we still [had] prom and it [was] an amazing night” Annika Guo (’21) said.

Many people consider prom to be one of the most pivotal nights of high school. This means finding the dress months in advance, making appointments for hair and makeup, making sure your nails look perfect for an aesthetic photo to post with your hand on your date’s chest, and of course, shoes. The day of prom many seniors felt overwhelmed trying to get ready in time for prom. “ I’m definitely more stressed than excited right now because as a girl there’s just so much to do to get ready. I have to keep telling myself that this is “just prom”’ to keep myself from having mental breakdowns” Lindsey Jung (’21) said. “Everyone obviously wants to look their best for prom so when one thing goes wrong, it’s like the bubble of pressure and stress that has been growing, explodes. For instance, I got my hair and makeup done and one of my eyelashes started coming off so I had to go back to the salon to fix it.” Although there were many stressful aspects to prom, once the “getting ready” part was over, it was all fun from there. 

Although, in the beginning of senior year, it was unclear whether prom would take place, once it was decided that a semi-normal prom was to be held, the Senior Class Office was quick to create the plans for the event. “There was so much uncertainty this year as we went through the prom planning process. We had several different plans in place, but we were thrilled when we were able to move forward with the original idea of having it at The Rockleigh Country Club,” Mr. Angus, the Senior Class Office advisor, said. “It definitely was different than proms in the past, but I believe the students had a great time.” The class officers themselves have also expressed their satisfaction with this year’s prom. “It was definitely a bit harder to regulate tickets and important forms since a significant amount of our grade is still all-virtual,” Michelle Lee (’21), the Class of 2021 Vice President, said. “However, it was fun to have some work on our hands after tux, especially since the Olympics has been pushed back to June.” One addition to prom that this year’s class office added was placing disposable cameras for each prom table that were later collected to develop adding to the “aesthetic” memory of the night.

Prom 2021 was truly successful under the circumstances that the Class of 2021 was under throughout their senior year. Hopefully, the Class of 2022 can look forward to an even more “normal” prom next year. Now for the seniors: next stop, graduation.