Prom is the one formal dance at Paly each year. Palo Alto High School students don’t enjoy the excitement of homecoming or winter formal.
That makes prom the one night where girls get to look like a princess and the boys get to be their prince charming. Because it is the only formal dance at Paly, a lot of money and energy is spent into making the night perfect. However, when it comes down to it, prom is not all it has cracked up to be.

We, the sixth period beginning journalism class, believe that while prom is special, there could have been a little more done for the money everyone spent. When all is totaled up, each student spent around $400-500 for prom. That includes tickets, hair, make-up, nails, limo, tux, dress, corsage/bouttenier, pictures, and any other accessories one might need. All that money is spent because the students want the night to be one that they will always remember. Hey, it is prom.

Prom was held at the Decathlon Club in Santa Clara. The dance floor was awesome and it was a very nice setting. The tables were set beautifully and the club was gorgeous. Everyone looked great as well. However, the dinner was disappointing. The salad was tiny and consisted of lettuce and dressing. The actual meal was alright. For vegetarians they had vegetarian wellington and for everyone else it was a piece of chicken breast. Nothing very special. At least nothing worth the $135 ticket everyone bought.

We believe that there should have been a dress code because some of the outfits the girls showed up in were inappropriate. Some girls showed up as prostitutes and others just wore really short dresses that barely covered anything up. The idea of prom is a night of elegance. When someone shows up in a skimpy dress, it ruins the mysticism of the night.

Another thing that could have been better was the date. Prom was scheduled right before AP testing and right after SATs. A lot of people did not want to go because they had too much work to do. Besides, prom is supposed to be the final happy gathering as a graduating class. Paly’s prom was May first, over a month before school actually ends. We think it would have been more special if everyone could really let go and not have to be stressing over school.

So yes, prom was special. Dancing was a lot of fun, the limo rides were great, and being there with your friends and significant others, was even more special. Everyone looked great, but it could have been better. Maybe that is our own fault for having such high expectations?