The decades long tradition of Junior Post Prom Party has ended after recent years’ waning attendance and a lack of interest expressed in a survey sent out to parents and guardians.
Post-prom originated to prevent students from engaging in illegal activities such as drinking and driving on the night of prom. For over 30 years, post-prom has been an event held from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. at the New England Sports Center, giving the junior class the opportunity to come together without an entry fee. This year, the Algonquin Parent Teacher Organization (APTO) expressed how difficult the decision was to not host the Post Prom Party and announced an alternate event in place of post-prom.
“The APTO is pleased to announce that we are working directly with the junior class and will be sponsoring something very special during the prom,” the APTO said in an email sent to parents. “We will also be hosting an amazing spring event for our juniors. We hope these alternatives will offer our students an enjoyable way to celebrate this special occasion and build class spirit.”
However, with the absence of the typical post-prom party, many have expressed worries regarding unsafe risks students might take instead. A recent assembly for the senior and junior class addressed the dangers and potential impacts of substance use.
School Resource Officer and Juvenile Detective Stephen Sullivan said that local police will take as many precautions as possible in order to ensure students’ safety on prom night. Sullivan said that when any popular event is going on, specifically on the nights before holidays when parties are more likely to occur, there is extra patrol in place. The police department is aware of occasions that may lead to illegal activities like driving under the influence.
“My greatest fear in policing is not getting hurt; my greatest fear is going to a parent’s house to tell them their child was just killed due to drugs or alcohol,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan also stated that criminal charges are initiated after well-being is assured. Consequences are situational and depend on the decisions made by the school district, guardians and local law enforcement to determine the best step moving forward.
Sullivan describes the values and perception of adolescents as something role-modeled by parents or guardians. Through good examples in a person’s life, they will have a strong sense of self worth and confidence in their decision-making.
“It really has to do with the students’ self esteem, and that’s where any safety issue arises from,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan encourages those attending prom to “be present with each other” and “put the phones down.”
Members of the community fondly view post-prom as a long-standing tradition in which people can come together with no additional cost and participate in events. Last year’s post prom was hosted at New England’s Sports Center.
“Post-prom has been around since I started teaching here, and that was in 1999,” Environmental Science and Biology teacher Christina Connolly said. “They’ve made it even bigger throughout the years, with everything the PTO has been providing as far as activities and food.”
Additionally, the safety measures taken by post-prom were appreciated by Connolly, who is a parent of two students who have been through Algonquin and attended both prom and post-prom.
“As a parent, I was happy to donate to it when my kids were going,” Connolly said. “If you’re keeping my kids safe for a night, that sounds great.”
According to senior Sheila Purcell, there was a high turnout of students at post-prom last year. She recalled many students participating in the activities APTO provided, including an electronic bull ride and ice skating.
“I definitely think it’s inclusive because most of the grade is there,” Purcell said. “It was really fun because you just got to hang out with all your classmates. I feel like it’s a good alternative for what other things people may want to do after prom.”
Connolly has seen that After Prom has served as a way to unite students in a unique way for juniors heading into their last year at Algonquin.
“I do feel like it has the potential to bring a class together going into their senior year with that camaraderie,” Connolly said. “The friend groups may start to break down if you get hypnotized with someone you don’t normally hang out with.”
