The night of extravagant dresses, striking tuxedos, and endless picture-taking will soon be upon the upperclassmen of Atlantic High School. The behind-the-scenes work completed by a majority of the junior class is what makes prom so meaningful.

A junior class meeting was held on Jan. 10 to determine a theme. “At the meeting, everyone threw out ideas as we wrote them down,” said class president Hannah Alff. “We then had to narrow the possibilities down to five when it became time to vote. Results came back that Hollywood and Las Vegas had tied, we resolved the issue in a re-vote concluding that Hollywood was the winner.”

Alff said in order to be involved with the building of the stations, each student must raise $50 towards the prom fund at any point during the process. The building dates are scheduled for April 5 from after school until 8 p.m. and April 6 during the school day until 3:30 p.m. in the high school gym. The students will work to fill an entire half of the gym with decorations associated with the Hollywood theme while maintaining a budget of $2,200 managed by the junior class sponsor and prom advisor, Pat Wiederien. Students are responsible for constructing large models depicting notable attractions correlating with their chosen theme.

On Saturday, April 7, pre-prom will be held at 7 p.m. at the Atlantic Golf and Country Club where couples and friends can gather to take pictures and eat snacks. The Grand March will then be held in the AHS Auditorium at 8:30 p.m. Each couple will be introduced as they make their way across the stage. The dance is scheduled to take place from 8:30 p.m. – 11:45 p.m. Following the dance, after-prom begins at the YMCA where students can play games, binge on refreshments, and chat with friends. Finally, the couples travel back up to the high school for breakfast and a show. Students have the option to participate in a performance put on by a hypnotist that has been to multiple proms in the previous years. The Pancake Man will also be attending the breakfast portion of the early morning to serve the students fresh, hot pancakes.

Senior Scott Leonard recalls English teacher Emma Bireline making comical remarks while reading the introductory cards for Grand March as a highlight from his junior prom. Bireline has participated in Atlantic’s Grand March for two years. However, she is expecting a baby boy on April 7, the night of prom. “I would like to continue to be a part of the big night, but it will depend if I am in labor,” Bireline said.