With the end of the school year quickly approaching and spring in full bloom, prom season has finally arrived. A highly anticipated night, students often stress over finding a date, choosing the perfect attire, making plans for dinner and determining what after-party they will attend. Prom lands on May 3 this year. Despite the excitement surrounding the night, there are many reasons this date comes at an inconvenient time for many.

The enthusiasm for prom is often overshadowed by other concurrent events. Beginning on May 5, the Monday following prom, AP exams will begin, taking place for next two weeks. For students in the IB Diploma program, testing is also scheduled to take place from May 5 to May 20. With all the planning involved for prom night, valuable time gets taken away from students who also feel pressured to get some last-minute studying in. Furthermore, even for students not involved in AP or IB classes, prom still comes at a problematic time for those who are looking to study for final exams, as ACE week runs from Friday, May 16 to Thursday, May 22. Some students will opt to study instead of participate in prom activities, and the HiLite staff feels as though prom should be rescheduled for a time in which more academically inclined students feel as though they can participate too.

Considering the major events listed above, it’s clear this school needs to revisit the prom date in the future. Instead of holding the event on the first Saturday in May, a more appropriate time would be the Saturday of the week following spring break or the second Saturday after spring break ends.

Spring break is the perfect time to relax before prom and its coinciding events. With students away, often on vacation, they can take time away from school and extracurricular responsibilities. Students often return from break rested and motivated, making this event more exciting, rather than just another stressor in the month of May. 

Either of these dates allow students some extra time to evaluate their plans for prom and spend time shopping, making reservations and organizing a group to attend the party with. This would prove beneficial to students, who wouldn’t have to worry about preparing for exams or making prom plans. 

Additionally, many students even opt to work extra hours for spring break, which can help pay for prom tickets and other expenses like dresses or beauty appointments. Most importantly, this would still give students over two weeks to prepare before their end-of-year exams.

Prom should live up to its expectations as one of the most anticipated nights of high school, not another hurdle to get past in the month of May. Overall, this school needs to reconsider when prom takes place to make the event something students look forward to and remember fondly, not another source of stress.