Schools
Girls Talk: Prom Night in Woodbury
With all the limousines, party buses and fancy cars driving about in Woodbury this weekend and next, residents might feel as though it's the Academy Awards. But for area teens, it's just prom.
Gals will be dressed like glamorous movie stars and guys will be decked out in stylish formal wear, all ready for their walk down the carpet at a fashionable prom night grand march. But what's the high school tradition really like for the teens enjoying (and preparing for) the festivities?
Woodbury Patch caught up with three seniors and four juniors to get their “before” views on prom.
Woodbury High School
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Woodbury High School juniors Kristen Vasilakos, Samantha Ortiz, Anna Lundberg and Sarah Niederhofer talked about being “first-time" juniors attending prom.
Patch: Being that you’re juniors, this is your first prom. What do you think it’s going to be like?
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Niederhofer: I really don’t know what prom is going to be like, but I am excited about my dress, the before and after parties, and not so excited about the dance itself.
Ortiz: The only thing I know about prom is from my cousins. They said it’s just awesome, so I’m really excited to see if it’s all that, but whatever goes, we’ll all have fun, I’m sure.
Vasilakos: I’m looking forward to everyone being together. We’re all dressed up and in a different setting than we’re normally in. I think all of the pre-planning and work we’ve put into it is going be all worth it in the end.
Lundberg: I remember I had so much fun dressing up at our ninth-grade dance, so I’m really excited about prom. It’s going to be really fun!
Patch: Do you have to go to prom with a date?
Ortiz: We have about 21 going in our party bus group and only a couple of them are dating. I think if you go without a date, you have way more freedom to do whatever you want, like hanging with your girlfriends!
Patch: You all mentioned the word “Proma.” What is that?
The girls agreed that "proma" is prom drama that will most definitely occur at prom. Tears, fights and arguments are inevitable when emotions and excitement run high.
Patch: What do you like about your dresses?
Niederhofer: I love the sparkles, bling and straps of my dress!
Ortiz: Definitely the simplicity and elegance of the dress.
Vasilakos: It’s simple, classy and elegant.
Lundberg: The color. I also like it because it’s something I don’t think I would’ve ever picked out online.
Patch: Have your ever thought of prom dresses as being representative of a girl’s personality?
All four laughed and agreed that they’ll definitely be taking "personality checks" on all dresses during prom.
Details on Woodbury's prom from teacher Jennifer Olson
Woodbury High School prom is on April 9 at the Landmark Center in St. Paul from 8 p.m. to midnight. The theme is "Forever Tonight." We are expecting about 500 at the dance. The grand march begins at 3 p.m. at the WHS varsity gym. The public is welcome.
East Ridge High School
Patch spoke with East Ridge High School seniors Meghan Tomai, Courtney Pierre and Melissa Sieben to get their thoughts from a senior’s standpoint on their last high school prom.
Patch: How did you find your dresses?
Sieben: My mom and I went out last weekend and found my dress at Our Shop in Stillwater. It was the second one I tried on and it didn’t need any alterations, so I got really, really lucky!
Pierre: I was viewing dresses online and then going out to stores to find them. Most of the dresses online looked ugly when I saw them in the store. My mom and I found a completely different dress than I would’ve picked at Our Shop. I’d recommend to girls who are going for the first time to prom next year to give themselves six to eight weeks before prom to start shopping for a dress, as you’ll most probably need to get alterations done, too.
Tomai: My search started online about eight weeks ago. I just Googled “prom dresses” and designer websites popped up all over the place! I found one I really loved and went ahead and ordered my dress online.
My mom had reservations about me getting it online. There was stress and concern over what the quality and fit would be, would it get here in time, as well as the true color of the dress. The dress was supposed to be more of a sea foam green, whereas its true color is more of a Kelly green. Otherwise, it’s perfect.
I chose to shop online because I’m not a big shopper and love the convenience of it. The price was great, but I did have about $50 in alterations, so be prepared to add the cost of alterations into your budget.
Patch: Do people ever show up in the same dress?
Tomai: Every year, high schools post their own Facebook prom dress page. Ours is East Ridge High School Prom Dresses. Once you get your dress, you post it online so others can see your dress and be sure not to buy that one. Stores that specialize in formal dresses also track purchases to ensure girls from the same high school don’t end up in the same dress.
Last year, two good friends ended up getting the same dresses—only in different colors. One of them ended up returning it for another dress.
Patch: What is the cost of prom night if you split it out with your date?
All agree the cost works out to be $30/food, $55/limo or party bus, $200-$500/dress, $45/piece tickets, $100-plus/accessories, hair, nails and jewelry. They also suggested buying shoes in silver, black or gold so they can be reused next year.
Patch: It’s your senior year. What does this prom mean to you and what are you looking forward to?
Pierre: Since we’ve done prom before as juniors, we know how prom “works,” though it was kind of weird last year, as there were no seniors and it was held at the school! As seniors, I think we prepare for prom for so long, as it’s really our last big highlight of the year before graduation.
Tomai: It’s really our last experience as a full group going out together. It’s so much fun, as everyone looks their very best and will all just have a really great time before and after prom with our group.
Sieben: Everyone is so busy during their senior year working on college prep stuff, working at jobs and sports, that we’ve had very little time to all get together. Prom night is that last really fun night when everyone is all together before heading off in different directions.
Details about the East Ridge prom from teacher Bridget Plante
Plante: As far as projected numbers of attendees for this year’s prom, we have no history of how many to expect since last year was ERHS first prom. However, if we look at what Park and Woodbury have pulled in the past years, we can reasonably assume around 350-500 to attend prom.
This year’s prom will be held on April 16 at the Prom Center in Oakdale from 8 p.m. to midnight. The theme is "Casino Royale." Attendees will be able to play Texas Hold 'em and blackjack. Aces High will provide workers dressed up as casino dealers and those winning players will receive gift cards to local shops and restaurants.
The ERHS grand march will be held earlier that day at 3 p.m. at the ERHS Loft Stage. The public is welcome.
