The junior and senior prom took place on Saturday, April 18. But long before the Grand Prix Gala happened, students had to navigate the to-do list to prepare for this event, and at the top of the list for many was figuring out who to go with.
Chloe Kolman ‘26 felt the pressure to find a date as the countdown to prom approached.
“All my siblings had a date for prom, so my siblings were bugging me about who I was gonna take and my friends around me kept asking,” Kolman said. But come Prom, she went stag. “In my group we were either going all with dates or no one with dates. A lot of schools had prom on the same day, so that was tough, and a lot of people are in relationships at this point in the year” Kolman noted. In hindsight, though, she said, “going solo was low stress because I didn’t have to babysit my date!” Kolman’s prom experience reflects a larger question: is bringing a date expected or optional at Prom?
For many students the pressure to find a date can dim the excitement for such a milestone high school event.
“It felt weird not having a date. It just felt like I was missing out a little,” Luke Condrin ‘26 said. “People think another reason why some don’t have a date is probably not just because they want to go alone, but they just get zero girls,” Condrin said.
On the other hand, some students believe this perception comes from within.
“People get too in their heads and care too much about what other people think. But no one actually cares at the end of the day,” Amelia Mackin ‘26 said. “Everyone has their own things to deal with and no one’s judging another person for not having a date.”
Bringing a romantic partner, a friend, or simply going alone can vary the experience students have at prom.
“I’ve always had a dream of going to prom with a date and being asked, like the classic American prom dream,” Akira Washington ‘26 said. Bringing a date for Washington added structure and thrill to the night. “Having a date means that I’m gonna have a blast. I’m gonna have someone to watch me if I get a little rowdy. It’s gonna be very satisfying for me to walk in with a specific person and I can’t wait to stir the pot a little bit,” Washington said.
On the contrary, some like the independence. “Going alone definitely makes for more of a calm experience,” Kolman said.
Some students have not just been going with dates but bringing ones from schools outside of MICDS.
“I feel like it’s more common for people to overlook other people from MICDS and go for somebody else from a different school,” Amey Parwal ‘27 said. This has created a ripple effect.
“One person will get a date from out of school, and then, especially, the guys they will follow the line and ask to be set up with someone, and then they bring a bunch of people they don’t really know. I think we’ve lost the art of matchmaking here,” Mackin said. Nicole Trueman, Prom and Activities Faculty Sponsor, has noticed this trend. “There’s way more out of school dates than ever before. Which kind of gets me worried, because, there are only so many spots, especially since we have a dinner,” Trueman said.
But has MICDS prom always been this way?
“10 years ago, nobody was doing promposals. Nobody was worried about it. Everybody came in groups and would hang out together,” Trueman said. Attributed to the uptick in bringing a date was seen after the two year pause in hosting prom due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. “Since COVID, when we got back to having dances, people thought they had to bring a date, and we kept trying to tell people, that’s just not how we really do it here. You can bring a date, but don’t feel like you have to,” Trueman said.
Despite these mixed perspectives, there will never be a correct way in how you attend prom. For those already worried for next year’s prom, “Don’t bring a date because of tradition, just prioritize your well being,” Kolman said.
