Sidwell has traditionally held its Prom on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, the weekend before final exams. However, holding Prom at this time increases stress for students studying for final exams and conflicts with end-of-year tournaments and travel.
While seniors can enjoy Prom without the pressure of looming final exams, juniors are under intense stress, as the final end-of-year exams of their high school career are just around the corner. Junior year is an especially critical academic time, and students are forced to balance exams with an essential night of high school life. Many students want to attend Prom, but it is an event that can often consume the entire day as they spend time with their friends and get ready. Additionally, they will not be able to fully enjoy it, as the tension of exams hangs over them. In a poll conducted, the primary reason juniors attributed to their dissatisfaction with the current Prom date was its proximity to final exams. In addition, Prom is on a Friday and ends quite late; thus, there is potential for exhaustion through the entire weekend and missing out on crucial studying time. While Sidwell does offer some time before exams through reading days, many students prefer to begin studying dense material in advance; therefore, the weekend before their final exams is not a wise date to hold a draining, albeit entertaining, event. Prom is a quintessential high school experience in the U.S., and students should be able to fully enjoy it without reviewing flashcards in their heads.
Additionally, Prom is scheduled for Memorial Day Weekend, one of the busiest travel periods. Several Sidwell students noted that they must skip the NCFL Grand Nationals debate, had to attend a family member’s college graduation or had guests who were out of town. This puts a damper on the Prom experience as students must balance many factors on one of the year’s busiest weekends. While Sidwell may think that holding Prom on Memorial Day Weekend is wise, everybody else also has the same idea. Thus, many different events likely conflict with each other this weekend, forcing students to pick between them. Another reason that primarily disadvantages juniors is that many utilize long weekends for college visits, which often occur on Fridays or Saturdays. At such a late point in the year where juniors may very well already have a fully fledged college list, and are beginning to narrow down their options, holding Prom on a prime visit weekend is unwise.
All in all, holding Prom on Memorial Day Weekend poses issues related to its proximity to final exams and conflicts regarding the long weekend. Final exams being the week after pose a huge issue for juniors, dampening their Prom experience. The choice to place it on one of the busiest long weekends of the year is also imprudent. Juniors and seniors alike may be forced to choose between crucial things such as college visits or tournaments and experiencing Prom. Many students suggested moving Prom up a week to the middle of May. This would be ideal, as it would place Prom at a healthy distance from final exams. Also, it would be right after AP exams, making the experience more enjoyable as students can blow off any stress and feel that they can celebrate more freely. Holding Prom on a normal weekend would reduce the risk of conflict, and students would be able to come back to school without the fear of creeping exams.