At 7:00 p.m. on May 11, 2024, hundreds of students will arrive at The Pearl venue. They will be dressed and ready to attend one of Urban’s largest and most anticipated events of the year: prom.
In past years, prom has drawn over 400 attendees, including over 350 Urban students — more than 80% of the student body. This year’s prom is expected to meet or exceed these numbers as students from all grades are getting excited for the event. Elegant lighting, never-before-seen decorations and delectable food are some

of its many attractions.
“Prom is always a big part of Urban,” said Student Committee (StuCo) Co-President Alex Yang ‘24. “There’s a culture that everybody goes.”
Because prom has no set dress code, students have more freedom to wear what they want. StuCo Prom Committee Member Rachel Rose ‘26 said, “People come to prom as who they are and how they want to present themselves, and that’s totally acceptable.”
“You don’t have to … wear anything fancy,” said Yang. “My sophomore year, I wore shorts and a sweatshirt.”
This year is the school’s second consecutive prom hosted at The Pearl, a venue located in Dogpatch. To keep the location fresh and fun, StuCo has worked on adding new creative flairs to the setup and experimenting with decorations.
“Even though [prom] is at the same venue, it will definitely [have] a different feeling … because the decorations and lighting will be much different,” said Yang. “We have a special entranceway this year that’s going to be super cool.”
Dean of Student Activities Skyler Silverman also reflected on the hard work StuCo’s prom committee has put into planning the event. “This year StuCo put a little more of a personal touch on the design [and] the aesthetics,” he said. “There’s a surprise theme and I think that’ll be fun.”
“We worked hard [on] the theme,” said StuCo Co-President Sephora Haileselassie ‘24. “The venue will be cute [and] the music’s gonna be fun. You definitely don’t want to miss this.”
Many students also look forward to enjoying the drinks, dinner and dessert. This year’s menu features chicken and waffles, salad, mocktails and Dippin’ Dots.
“Food at prom can make or break how the night goes,” said Kyle Speta ‘26. “I’m excited about the food.”
As the date approaches, students are reserving tickets and making plans for the night. “I’m very excited because I get to take my girlfriend — we’re going to have matching outfits,” said Carl Haidamus ‘25.
Attending prom with a date is optional and many choose to attend without one. To many, prom is more about spending time with classmates than having a romantic date.
“I’m planning to go with friends,” said Speta. “To me, the perfect prom would be hanging out with friends and everyone having a good time.”
Since prom is the school’s biggest formal event of the year, students are encouraged to make the most of it. “Prom at Urban is a big deal,” said Haileselassie. “We only have one dance a year, so this is your moment to shine.”