As the school year nears its end and exams are in full swing, Wakefield High School students begin to anticipate an evening free from stress and homework, and full of spontaneity: Prom. Considered a classic milestone in the high school experience, Prom marks the peak of a student’s academic and social journey before graduation, and additionally serves as a symbolic transition from adolescence to adulthood. Prom 2025 will take place on May 17, 2025, from 8 to 11 p.m.
Wakefield’s Prom theme this year — ‘City of Lights’ — is meant to signify a magical night under the stars. Bringing that vision to life, however, has required detailed planning and creativity from Wakefield’s Student Council members. Junior Class President, Emerson Dykes, has been heavily involved in planning Prom for the Wakefield student body this year and is looking forward to witnessing all of their efforts come to fruition.
“We have elements of the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty scattered all around the venue,” Dykes said. “We also have a terrace, where people [can] go outside to see the Raleigh skyline. The food that we picked out is even street food because we wanted to go along with the city theme.”
With these ambitions at the forefront of their minds, Wakefield’s Student Council has been hard at work since January. They hope to ensure that this year’s Prom is a night unlike any other.
“[Student Council] has been planning down to the nitty gritty, all the super fine details, to make this year super special for all of the students,” Dykes said. “We’re really hoping that everyone involved [will get] excited to go to prom and excited to go to Wakefield.”
More than just a formal dance, however, Prom gives students a break from academics. It brings everyone together to have fun, despite the stressful reality of school. This event has been known to be very special for most teenagers due to it being the milestone of their high school careers. Senior Milo Johnson has realized how important it is to go to the Prom and to enjoy his time as a teenager while it lasts.
“I think it’s a special experience for the juniors and the seniors, especially because it is their tail end of high school,” Johnson said.
Similar to Johnson, senior Guery Ayala believes that Prom can be a night of celebration for the graduating class and a catalyst for one’s next step in life. However, he also recognizes that there are certain pressures attached to the Prom experience.
“People get too worried about [Prom dates] and I feel like they should be more concerned about just enjoying the night with friends and whoever they go to Prom with,” Ayala said. “But the actual idea of enjoying the night [with] the upperclassmen who work so hard for it [is] a great thing.”
The prom, more often than not, has a big planning process for most of the student body that is attending. Students sometimes get groups together, plan dinner reservations and get pictures for the big day. Counselor Jessica OBerto understands that some students would prefer to take the simpler route rather than indulge in expensive items.
“If you just want to go grab a cheap dinner and wear a dress you already had in your closet, you can do that,” OBerto said. “Society makes [Prom] feel like a big thing because it is a really fun celebration, but it can also just be a fun day with your friends.”
Overall, prom brings unity amongst the student body as a way of closing out the school year in a fun way. Students might think it is expected to get the best outfit or plan the most expensive dinner reservation, but the most expected task is to come as yourself and no other.
“All you [have] to do is show up as you are,” Ayala said. “It’s more about you, not about what you wear. [It’s about] bringing your personality to the dance rather than an outfit to the stage because, of course, looks aren’t everything.”
