With April 23 quickly approaching, excitement and stress combine for students and faculty concerned with this year’s prom. Juniors and seniors will take to The City Club Raleigh on the 28th floor of the Wells Fargo building to enjoy the royalty themed festivity.

“This year’s prom actually started the day prom ended last year,” said SGA adviser, Rachel Bentley.  “I usually meet with my council members before school lets out and we go ahead and start talking about what we need for the next year. Once August hits, we establish our council and immediately start working on our theme. It’s a year-long process.”

The student council worked collectively to decide on the royal theme, but the officers coined the name “We Will Always Be Royals.”

“The most difficult part is deciding which theme works and then how they want to decorate for that particular theme,” said Bentley. “Once the council has made that decision and has started to come up with ideas, it’s pretty simple to be able to get through at that point.”

Although making decisions seems easy after deciding on a theme, expectations for all of the details and factors going into prom remain high. With so many students planning to attend, the pressure is higher. Junior class council Vice President, Camryn Blawas, is confident that expectations will be met.

“I’m expecting a big turnout because we’ve sold over 200 tickets already in the first week,” said Blawas. “I’m [also] expecting a really fun DJ! It’s going to be great.”

Students who look forward to prom night look to enjoy dancing and eating well.

“I hope the food is good,” said senior, Zach Nolan.  “I hope that the music is all right [too] and I can dance to it and then just hang out with friends.”

Luckily for Nolan, seniors were given the opportunity to request a song. While some students enjoy the rush of asking that special someone to go with them, many others see themselves having a better time when being independent.

“Groups [are more fun] because there are no expectations,” said Nolan. “With a date, you have to be with that person the whole time, and you can’t be dancing with anyone else.”

Also hoping to spend a great night with a group of friends, junior, Angela Powell, is preparing to look and feel her best.

“I think my mom is going to have me get a spray tan so I won’t be really pale,” said Powell.  “I’m getting my hair done, and I might be getting my makeup done by someone but I don’t know if I trust her yet.”

Although the essence of prom should be one of excitement and memorable experiences, dangers remain a possibility.

“The biggest concern for prom night is drinking and driving,” said Blawas. “Everyone knows that people party after prom. We do the prom promise where people sign a pledge saying, ‘I will not go in a car with someone under the influence or drive under the influence,’ but it’s still scary. People still do it, and we don’t want to be blamed for that or have anyone in our school suffer from an incident with drunk driving.”

Those putting prom together know that they have a great memory to organize.

“Prom is important because it’s part of your right of passage for high school,” said Bentley. “There are a couple things that have always been around, so it’s nice that it’s stayed consistent with times that have changed so much… It gives the juniors and seniors a chance to celebrate getting through this much of school.”