From “Prom?” being written on pizzas to four separately baked cakes shaping the letters “P” “R” “O” and “M”, it was clear from the beginning that the 2016 Urban prom was going to be a night to remember. This year’s prom night was filled with music, dancing, and lots of french fries. Juniors and Seniors who attended the 2014 prom might have recognized the venue: The Great American Music Hall. This venue has two stories so that students can dance in the center of the dance floor, or walk up a flight of stairs and watch the dance from the balcony. This two-level venue provided students with the space to socialize, take photos, and of course dance.

Leo Krinsky (‘18) said that this year’s venue was “a lot better than last year. It forced everybody onto the dance floor, which made it a lot more fun because I was around all my buds.”

The dance floor was consistently packed with very skillful dancers. At one point in the night, there was a huge open circle in the middle of the dance floor. Students huddled around the open ring, taking turns to dance inside the middle. At another point, Brad Bell (‘18) fulfilled a lifelong dream of crowd surfing his peers. There was not a second in the night that the dance floor was not filled with students (and some teachers).

Abby Walker (‘18) said that “the energy in the dance room was tangible with the danceable music.”

However, the one thing that did not exceed expectations was the food. According to a multiple choice survey answered by 106 students, nearly 70 percent asserted that the food was “just okay.”  The food this year was much different than it had been in past years. The buffet style dinner allowed students to get food whenever they pleased, which was nice when people needed a break from intense dancing. Students could eat chicken kebabs, a mini grilled cheese, sweet potato or french fries, and more. With the price of food included in the $70 prom ticket, students were allowed to eat however much they wanted. Max Rickert-Wong (‘17) said that the food was “not amazing, but not bad either.”

Ever since Urban’s first prom, all four grades have attended prom. Bella Morford (‘16) has attended prom all four years at Urban, and she said that “prom was fun. The prom itself was better than past years, it was the best.”

Part of what makes Urban students enjoy prom is the casualness of it. Though this was his first prom, Angus Schmitz (‘19) said that his “expectations going into prom was that it was going to be hyper formal…Although it kind of was, being able to wear a suit but still go crazy was a lot of fun.”

Overall, the 2016 prom was a success. Dance committee leader Corey Smith (‘18) said that, “The prom went really well.”