WH seniors finally get their night to shine at prom
West Holmes High School prom royalty included senior king Haeden Wolfe and queen Hannah Clark in front and junior prince Tucker Kaufman and princess Elayna Gallion, who were chosen by classmates and were crowned at the prom on Saturday, May 15.
For much of the 2020-21 school year, the West Holmes senior and junior class members were kind of resigned to the fact they were going to miss another prom due to pandemic situations.
However, as the state lifted some of the requirements and stipulations, it opened the door for West Holmes to present prom, and although it was at a late date and there was much work to do in little time, the school and the community united to pave the way for this year’s upperclassmen to enjoy the time-honored tradition of prom.
While prom usually takes place at the high school and students normally go out in small groups to dine elsewhere before entering for the grand march, the school decided to go with something unique this year, that being a fully catered meal at Encore Hotel in Berlin, where prom took on a different look than usual.
In the elegant confines of the Encore event center, the students were dressed up and ready to celebrate, and it didn’t matter what the different circumstances were.
All that mattered was they were having prom.
“It’s so different than what we usually do for prom with the meal altogether, so I think there was a little bit of nervousness at first, not knowing what to expect,” West Holmes principal Tyler Renner said.
Renner, who helped set up the evening festivities at Encore Hotel, said the ultimate goal was to give the West Holmes seniors and juniors a classy, sit-down meal where they didn’t have to worry about seating capacity and other regulations still in place.
“Giving everyone a chance to be with their classmates was really important to us,” Renner said. “This is our senior class’s one and only prom. We all feel so grateful for the opportunity for them.”
Lacey Reynolds and Kelly Hozan Joppeck helped organize the prom. Reynolds said it was a mess wading through the many emotional swings of going from not having a prom to putting it together later in the year than WHHS usually does. She said it was exciting to host the grand march and the dinner gala at Encore, noting how regal everything looked.
“We had a lot of people really pitch in to make it something special for the kids, and they deserve it after missing out last year,” Reynolds said.
The catered meal at Encore included the crowing of the queen and king and junior prince and princess.
The ultimate senior royalty went to queen Hannah Clark and king Haeden Wolfe. They shared their sentiments about being given this chance to celebrate with classmates one more time before graduating.
“Considering all the circumstances we faced, it is awesome to be able to celebrate at prom, seeing everyone coming together, smiling and laughing and ending the year with something special. Not having prom last year was a bummer, but it made me realize how special this one is,” Wolfe said. “Last year we took a fat ‘L’, so this is really special. It’s fun for us to get together and chill, and for us seniors, this is a completely new experience, but it is one we will remember.”
For the senior class in particular, this was one more opportunity to spend time with friends and classmates that they missed out on last year. Senior Luke Vaccariello was one of a group who gathered at the outdoor patio during the celebration. He said it meant a lot because they didn’t even think they would have a prom much of this year.
Classmate Eric Marmet said it just felt right to finally celebrate prom with classmates who have been together forever. Johnathan Miller said it is hard to be upset about something that didn’t take place last year, noting they would have truly regretted missing out on their senior prom more than their junior year.
Finally, Cameron Ault said the senior class was grateful to everyone who pitched in to make it a reality after going nearly all year thinking there would not be a prom.
“At the beginning of the year, everything seemed so gloomy, not being able to do much of anything at all,” Ault said. “It progressed so well, and we are so excited to see everyone come together and have a prom. It’s heartwarming, and I feel so much love from the community that they came together so quickly and helped provide this chance for us. We are extremely grateful.”
The junior parents united to host the after-prom dance at Harvest Ridge, completing a night that opened the door for the festive mood.
From the pomp and circumstance of the grand march as students entered Encore Hotel to the catered meal and after-prom festivities, it was a night to remember that almost never was for the West Holmes students.