YAY The weeks before Prom can be a stressful time: school is close to ending, AP testing arrives, and golfers are desperately trying to make up their missed work. Prom can be a way to release someone from these worries, at least for a while, and one of the best parts of Prom can be the surprising Promposal. There is nothing better to start Prom Week off right than a Promposal. Though some may say it’s a bit flashy and unnecessary, there is no better way to make someone’s day, than by asking them to Prom with a Promposal. Sophomore Lauren Firgens Promposed this year to long time friend, Junior Taylor Haartman. There is no question that Firgens will make Haartman’s Junior Prom one she will never forget. “When dress shopping with Taylor, I had remembered she hadn’t had a date yet. I had seen a few others ask their friends to Prom so I took a shot at it. I assumed she would say yes, but it was still really fun to do,” said Firgens. Haartman, knowing it was her Junior Prom, wanted to go out with a bang but was unsure how to do that until her best friend had asked her. “She knew how much it meant to me to get asked my Junior year,” said Haartman, “I think it is important to be asked your Junior year because it is your Prom and your night to shine. I couldn’t think of anyone I would rather go with because after all, who needs a mister when you have a sister?”

Promposing is not only a neat way to get a friend to go to a dance, but it can be rewarding too, knowing you had just made someone’s day. You can create a masterpiece that shows who you are and how important the person you are asking is to you. You can tie both of your lives into your creation to truly blow them away and give them no other option than to say “yes.” Senior Silas Brunn had asked his girlfriend, Senior Rachel Schleicher, to Prom with a Promposal that was out of this galaxy. “Once I had an idea in mind, it didn’t take much work” said Brunn on his Star Wars themed Promposal, “when I saw how happy she was, it made me happy and made the work worth it” Though the week is coming to an end, it is not too late to ask your special someone or friend to Prom. It could be something as small as saying “Hey, wanna go to Prom?” in the middle of class. Tickets will be sold in the Activities Office for $15. Remember to check with Mr. Kestell during both lunches to see if you qualify for a $2 discount.

NAY The weeks before Prom can be a stressful time: school is close to ending, AP testing arrives, and golfers are desperately trying to make up their missed work. Prom can be a way to release someone from these worries, at least for a while, and one of the worst parts of Prom can be the dreary “Promposal.” For those who do not know what this Promposal is, it is a garish way of inviting someone to Prom, usually by making a sign, buying a gift, etc. Some see the Promposal as a cute gesture, but others only see a superficial act that does not have much significance. However, the students that enjoy Promposals have dominated public opinion, posting them on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and other social media sites. With the Promposal becoming more prominent on social media and around school, students have come to resent them. One such student is Senior Alexander Griessmeyer, who explained, “They used to be cool when few people did them, but now that they are so popular, they aren’t as special.” With more and more people giving out Promposals, people lose the meaningfulness of an original gesture, and instead fall into a well of conformity. With more and more people using the same mode of invitation, the thoughtfulness and sincerity of the action is lost. The Promposal is also a showy way of displaying affection. It draws much attention, and appeases other people as much as it appeases the one being asked to Prom. This almost makes the Promposal an expectation if one wants a date for Prom. Due to this wave of conformity, some people think that just asking outright is even more sincere than “Promposing.” Junior Caitlyn Cobb elaborated, “Just being asked in a sweet way would be cooler than a Promposal.”

Though it might come as a surprise, some people actually prefer to just be invited verbally. In a way, this makes a lot of sense. Verbally asking someone to go to Prom can be a tough task, especially if this person happens to your crush. If asked sweetly and sincerely, this could be a much more endearing way to ask someone to Prom, and it isn’t nearly as showy as a Promposal. However, sometimes even asking someone to Prom is not a good plan. Senior Mia Thaves is one such example. Last year, she was asked three times to go to Prom by different students at South. She refused each person, and one of them even Promposed. This just goes to show how someone can also attend Prom without going with a date. Though some people feel pressured into going with a date, it should not be a burden that one has to bear on Prom night. Anyone can go to Prom and make the best of it, with or without a date, or even a Promposal for that matter. Ultimately, Promposal or not, conformity and pressure should be absent from the experience of Prom. People should enjoy themselves, and have a night free from the worries of school, looming adulthood, or any burden inhibiting the mind. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (Fitzgerald).   Whether you succumb to peer pressure or go with a group a friends, Prom tickets are on sale in the Activities office for $15 through Friday, with a $2 discount for good attendance.