By REBECCA METHVEN

    Sparkling lights, laughter, and the elated sound of teenagers yelling to their favorite song was the exciting atmosphere that was created on Saturday, May 7, during the Underclassmen Prom. With extensive decorations and the crowning of the new Miss Bellefonte, this Prom was sure to be one students will remember for years to come.

    Prom is a night where teenagers of all ages get to dress up and dance off all the past week’s stresses; it is a time for friends to come together and create new memories. Prom hasn’t happened within the high school since 2018, making this the first Prom since the COVID-19 pandemic began. 

    Class Advisor and Spanish teacher Ms. Emily McManus handled the majority of the decorating beautifully.

    “It was no secret that since Ms. Mac was on maternity leave most of the planning fell on me and the amazing Cabinet. Shout out to Srta. Smith for all her help and support. I missed Ms. Mac since she is the ultimate party planner, but was glad she was able to be there for the event set-up and execution,” she said. 

    Even with the pressure of putting together a successful Prom, the Class of 2023’s Class Cabinet managed to throw together an amazing night for all grades. Usually, upperclassmen have to be invited by an underclassman in order to attend Prom, however, this year was different. Any upperclassman was allowed to join in on the fun without being invited by another student. 

    “I had an amazing time with the other seniors who went. The chaperones and their dancing really made the night. Thank you to the underclassmen who allowed us to attend their Prom because of how many COVID took away from us,” senior Shaylin Ripka said.

    Chaperones of all types came to Prom, and they also got to share in the fun of the night. Many students got to enjoy seeing their teachers outside of a school atmosphere dancing to songs like “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira and “Club Can’t Handle Me” by Flo Rida.

    “It was nice to see the teachers having fun, since we don’t usually get to see them have fun outside of school,” senior Megan Marsh said.

    With a water feature and ceiling feature, as well as  food trucks at the dance, this Prom can easily be labeled as one like no other.

    “I thought it was definitely different that there were food trucks and even a water feature, but overall I think it made the Prom really fun. The DJ played a lot of good music, and to just be able to hang out with my friends and have a good time was amazing,” junior Collin Sharp said. 

    In order to have features like this, however, the class’s officers had to put in a lot of work ahead of time with prep.

    “The planning for Prom was stressful from the start, but the outcome was more than worth it. Having to switch from an outside venue to inside three days before the event was certainly a struggle for us all. Despite everything, we worked hard and managed to pull through. Everyone gave their all into setting up and completely redoing initial plans. We were racing against the clock to come up with something that would ‘wow’ people,”  Class of 2023 Vice President junior Affina Garvin said. 

    To add onto the excitement of the night, this Prom also hosted the first public crowning of Miss Bellefonte since COVID struck. The crowd got to watch as 2022’s Miss Bellefonte Ella Underwood passed on her legacy to a new capable female leader. Cecilia Mazzacco, winner of Miss Bellefonte, in many eyes is the perfect candidate. She is involved in many clubs and has influenced both students and teachers alike.

    However, even with the stresses leading up to the perfect night, everyone remained calm and carried on with the preparations. 

    “Everything turned out wonderfully. So many thanks to give: custodians, chaperones, parent group, admin, but most especially to the officers of the Class of 2023 and the Prom committee from our cabinet. I was also so humbled when so many other kids stayed after that night to help tear down and clean up so that no one had to come back to school on Mother’s Day to finish any other cleaning,” Ms. McManus said.