Prom is something that people start thinking about their freshman year, whether they’re debating on what they want to wear or who they want to go with. Once they become a senior and it’s finally time to go to prom, there many other things students need to be worrying about.

Westwood Regional Jr./Sr. High School’s senior prom is May 29, which is only a week earlier than it has been in the past. This is stressing some students out. Senior Danielle White said, “Prom is supposed to be the stress reliever not the stress causer.”

Westwood Senior Class Advisors Eileen Nagle and Elizabeth Farrell decided that it would be a more rational idea to make prom a week earlier. Farrell admitted that prom being earlier is actually less stressful on everyone when she said, “I believe prom is more overwhelming when it is closer to graduation because those are two huge events for the senior class all in one month.”

School is ending earlier this year to account for the construction that will be completed on the building over the summer.  This puts graduation in the week prior to the one in which it is normally held.

After prom weekend, it is not easy for students to get their heads back in the game right away. Seniors generally do not attend school the Monday following prom.

Since school is ending earlier than it usually does, having prom the first weekend in June would force students to take their finals later that week. On the school calendar, prom is technically during the same week, the day of graduation just makes it seem earlier.

Students were not expecting prom to be any earlier than it usually is, they became frantic when the date came out. Senior Ally Gallo said, “It was the new date that threw everybody off. It’s not much earlier than usual but I think hearing the month May freaked many people out.” It was only October when Seniors found out exactly when prom would be. Most thought they needed to find a date right away.

As it is getting later in the year seniors are realizing there was no reason to panic; prom isn’t that much earlier after all. Senior Lexi Serafin said, “I’m thankful that we don’t have to take finals the same week we come home from prom because it will definitely take me longer than that to check back in to school.”

Senior Kristina Rivellini said, “No one wants to have to think about prom and graduation all in the span of two weeks. It’s like one second you’re having the best night of your lives with the entire senior class and the next second you’re getting your diploma realizing you’ll never see half of these people ever again.”