From 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on April 1, Kingswood Oxford hosted the junior prom, “The Red Carpet,” in the dining hall. Dressed to impress, Form 5 students and their dates took pictures, danced, and ate some great food.
Between professional, iPhone, and candid photos, moments were captured on the senior green before the night kicked off. All couples took pictures in media arts teacher Greg Scranton’s photobooth when they first walked in.
Students made great use of the 360 camera, filming smiles with friends and keeping the videos as a souvenir from the night. The poses, laughs, and elegant outfits truly fit the theme of the night.
Before taking to the dance floor, students enjoyed a tasty dinner catered by Sage Dining. With options varying from chicken sandwiches and fries to fondue-style desserts, everyone found something to enjoy.
Another feature of the night that fit everyone’s individuality was the music. The DJ played a variety of dancing music, mixed in popular songs from the 2000s, and took requests from the students.
The venue itself, the cafeteria, looked like anything but the place where students eat lunch every day. With decorated tables, balloons, lights, and signs, the room was transformed.
Junior John Kumpa acknowledged the hard work put into decorating for the event.“The cafeteria was decorated amazingly and seemingly unrecognizable from what it normally looks like,” he said. The decorators were thanks to Kingswood Oxford parents, who committed a great deal of their time to making the event great. Without their help, the entirety of the event would not have been possible.
KO parent and Form 5 parent representative, Anthanette Riley-Mapp, went above and beyond in her role as chair of the event. She was in charge of coordinating the volunteers who had to dedicate their free time to plan and decorate.
Ms. Riley-Mapp put in lots of work as she chaired her first event. “Compared to other events I felt this one was more work and a little more stressful,” she said. “Prom is something that students remember, and I wanted to be sure that the event was beautiful and that the students enjoyed themselves, and at the end of the evening I wanted them to leave prom saying they had a great night.”
The intent truly came to fruition because everyone enjoyed the night and was surprised by the quality of the venue.
“Junior prom definitely met my expectations,” John said. “My favorite part of prom was being able to be with basically everyone from the grade outside of school. It is very rare that we get to be with everyone outside of school hours.” The spring of junior year is an especially hectic time in the life of a student, so having the opportunity to relax and not think about school work was beneficial to everyone. The night was definitely one to remember, as all of the students were impressed with the decor, music, and food. From pictures to party favors, the night went off without a hitch.
