For the first time in two years, Prom will not be held on the tennis courts but instead welcomes the junior and senior classes to Raspberry Plain Manor in Leesburg on Friday, May 20th. The night will last from 8-11pm, but for participating students the festivities begin with the special privilege of leaving school early to prepare for the event.

Raspberry Plain Manor is a 300 year old house with a capacity of about 300 people according to Dr. Brewer. This limits the number of tickets that can be sold, but because of the large yard that will be utilized, the school has been able to sell over 450 tickets according to Brewer. “We really shouldn’t be selling any more but I don’t want to tell people no,” Brewer said when tickets sales were at 435.

Although Prom is being held on a Friday when there is school, participating students are still expected to be at school on that day. However, they are permitted to leave school early. Assistant Principal Braxton said that the time that students depart must be “within reason” meaning sometime between 11 and 12:30. “Getting here at 9:15 and leaving at 9:20 isn’t going to fly,” she said.

The early release privilege is something that students appreciate in addition to once again having a ‘normal’ prom night. Senior Chris Capone said that with the school year coming to a close he’s excited to enjoy a fun night with his friends. “School’s already over for us at that point anyway. I’ve already committed to college, you know, I’ve already decided what I’m gonna do for the next four years of my life,” he said.

Prom not only conflicts with a normal school day but also with the US Government AP exam. According to Counselor Molly Welch, students that do not show up for their exam must pay a $40 fee but the price is worth it for Senior Molly Battaglia. “Since the college I am going to doesn’t accept any credit for the course, I decided that skipping the exam would be alright in turn to keep my original plans for prom,” she said.

The US Government AP exam wasn’t originally scheduled for May 20th, but was moved when its original date, May 2nd, became a student holiday. “The exams are set [nationally] by The College Board and then our testing coordinator, Mr. Chuba makes the testing schedule and moves exams. For example, for Eid, which was initially on Tuesday, and then changed to a Monday,“ Welch said.

According to Brewer, Prom will have more than indoor dance activities to look forward to. “Not only will [students] have a dance and food going on inside, but we’ll have activities outside, kind of like we did at homecoming dance,” he said.

Organizing this year’s prom are junior class sponsors Ms. Bischoff and Ms. Santiago with some assistance from SCA. According to Bischoff, the junior class sponsor, there is no theme for this year’s prom but students will get to enjoy a “lovely decorated night.” 

Senior Madhya Clinch said she is looking forward to the event. “I’ve always wanted to go to prom ever since I was little and last year I couldn’t so this year has sort of been a buildup of all my childhood fantasies of high school,” she said.