By EVA HANEGRAAFF
NORTH READING — Golden chandeliers hung from the intricately painted ceiling of the event space at the Copley Plaza in Boston, where the senior class of 2025 held their senior prom. With a “Great Gatsby” inspired theme, both the space and the students themselves delivered, as everyone’s suits and dresses truly complimented the elegance of the event.
As the night began, the senior class and their guests were invited to find their assigned seats and many found their friends, making conversation about how good each other looked and their shared gratitude for the nice weather during the “Grand March” promenade, held at the high school and attended by friends and family prior to their arrival at the Boston prom venue.
Shortly after, the students were invited to find their seats as guests were called up by tables to get plates of food, buffet style, for the sit-down meal. The meal consisted of various pastas accompanied by a salad bar. Cannolis, cookies, and many other kinds of sweets were served for dessert.
Once the students had finished their meal, the atmosphere of the event space began to change. The lights dimmed, replaced by flashing dark neon lights. The DJ began to crank the music and there was a clear shift to more upbeat, dance-style songs. The dance floor began filling up as each table took to the dance floor and the stage, dancing to the music, in sync at times when familiar songs like the “Cupid Shuffle” and “Cotton Eyed Joe” came on.
While there was dancing in small groups, with little circles that formed, periodically throughout the night a giant dance circle formed where confident individuals were given the opportunity to show off their dance skills with the encouragement of rest of their class. The DJ also played a slow song, allowing for couples to gain the opportunity to dance together. Aside from someone with a bleeding chin after doing the worm, and an incident where a dress strap broke, prom went exactly as was to be hoped.
When the night began winding down, as was traditional, there was a pause in the dancing as the prom court and royalty designations were to be awarded. The Prom Court was made up of seniors Grace Higgins, Isabelle Lazure, Luke Berkley, Jordan Long, Torin Nickerson, and Andrew Taylor. Prom Royalty was a title given to seniors Erin Hatton and Michael Pittore. These awards are decided upon by the teachers who attend the prom and are given to students of exemplary character who are deserving of such a recognition.
After this intermission, dancing resumed, and the dance floor was once again filled, though slowly the party buses, limos, and Ubers that served as the students’ transportation into the city for their memorable night began to return, and it became clear that the 2025 Senior Prom had reached its end.
For many, this means taking off the suit jacket and high heels and exchanging them for something comfier, still reliving the sensational atmosphere of the night, being reminded, in a bittersweet way, of the end of a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the inevitable realization that the next steps of their life, full of independence and adulthood, are fast approaching.
