Students enjoy an ‘enchanted’ night at prom

Last Saturday evening the McCallum Student Council hosted the biggest dance of the year: prom. The dance took place from 8-11 p.m. at Brazos Hall. StuCo began fundraising many months prior, with money raised in various ways, such as the senior jerseys sold at the beginning of the year. Each year the organization chooses a theme to correspond with the night, and this year they landed upon “enchanted forest.” Following the theme, the venue was decorated with vines and the crowns awarded to prom royalty Olivia Hexsel and Luca Leone were meant to mimic flower crowns one may make with plants from a forest. The night consisted of lots of dancing, with the venue filled with the class of ’24 along with other guests.

We are proud to present our prom photo gallery as this week’s Tuesday Top 10.

HER CROWNING MOMENT: The moment senior Olivia Hexsel won prom queen, she knew she would remember it forever. A key high school experience with an added surprise made her night exponentially more special.

When Hexsel was crowned, all she could think about was her friends and getting to celebrate the moment with them.

“When I got prom queen, I was looking at all my friends and they were cheering me on,” Hexsel said. “I got all the support from them because they made the memory extra special.”

The experience was something Hexel will cherish forever. Not only did she get to attend the dance, she received the honor of walking away with a sash and crown.

“It was a lot of fun,” Hexsel said. “I was just so glad to be there with such a great group who supports me.”

As graduation quickly approaches, Hexsel knows moments like these will be the ones she remembers most.

“Truly a blessing to celebrate this with a great group of classmates,” Hexsel said. “Dancing on the dance floor and taking pictures with everyone was unforgettable.”

Caption by Chloe Lewcock. Photo by Sophia Manos.

HIS REIGN BEGINS: After hearing that he had been voted prom king, the night changed for senior Luca Leone. Since the honor is determined by a vote of the senior class, the win was both a sentimental moment and added an extra element of surprise to prom night for Leone.

“It was a lot of fun to experience winning prom king and having all my friends [there] to celebrate the win,” Leone said. “My mom won prom queen when she was in high school, so it feels great to win prom king and keep the [family] tradition going.”

Leone decided to run for prom king on the spur of the moment. The spontaneity made the moment even more special for him.

“I ran because I tried winning homecoming, and I ended up not winning, so I decided ‘Why not run for prom king?’” Leone said. “I didn’t hear my name get called at first, then everyone around me started cheering and pushing me to the front.”

According to Leone, the moment was special because graduation is right around the corner. The eminent approach of the end of high school makes him savor what’s left of his senior year.

“It was a unique memory because not everyone can say they won prom king, and it’s something I will remember forever,” Leone said. “I feel for myself that I’m graduating on a high note.”

Caption by Chloe Lewcock. Photos by Sophia Manos.

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE: Teachers Cynthia Roberts, Amy Smith and Jessica Garcia check students into prom. Smith said being a chaperone instead of an event planner was very exciting as well as much calmer.

“There are a lot of details that go into planning prom and taking care of all of the finances like raising money and selling tickets,” Smith said.

Being a chaperone, Smith decided to go out on the dance floor with the students along with the other teachers at the registration desk.

“Ms Nix and I went out on the dance floor and danced with the kids for a little while, which was a lot of fun for us,” Smith said.

Going on the dance floor, Smith was reminded of the time she went to prom.

“We had live bands,” Smith said. “There was no such thing as a DJ when I was growing up.”

Despite the time difference between Smith’s prom and Saturday’s prom, 2024 seniors and seniors back in the day still had similar experiences.

Looking at all of the fun and energy around her, Smith thought that this night is a very important moment in any person’s life.

“It [prom] is kind of a right of passage,” Smith said. “You get to go and see all of your friends, and it doesn’t have the stress of school. You get to let loose and have fun.”

With prom being the last big dance of students’ high school career, Smith thinks it’s very important.

“It [prom] is the beginning of the march toward graduation,” Smith said, “so it is a little bittersweet.”

Caption by August Gleason. Photo by Tristen Diaz.

LAST CHANCE TO DANCE: Senior Lucas Wheeler dances at prom, a night he originally took on solo. Before going to prom Wheeler had never been to any school dances before, thinking that he wouldn’t find them enjoyable, but prom changed this viewpoint.

“I have mainly avoided them [school dances] just because I thought I wouldn’t like dances,” Wheeler said. “But prom was fun; I had a good time. Anyone who is thinking about skipping out on any dances before the end of their school career should hesitate.”

Wheeler used the energy from the crowd around him to dance at prom.

“I mean the energy was really good,” he said. “Everybody came in slowly, but there was a huge rush of people, and the energy picked up. The DJ did a really good job, so what kind of ended up happening was that there was this sphere in the middle of the dance floor that had just a bunch of people who were full of energy which expelled outwards.”

Even though Wheeler was reluctant to attend school dances, he knew this would be his last shot, so he decided to go and ended up with good memories from the night.

“It was the end of the year, it was the last one, so I thought I might as well give it a shot,” Wheeler said. “It was all just kind of a blur, dancing and having fun.”

Wheeler also acknowledged all of the volunteers that helped make prom a success.

“They [prom volunteers] did a great job with the coat check-in station—that was fantastic,” he said. “And so did everybody who wasn’t a senior and was just there to help out.”

Caption by Shila Gill. Photo by Tristen Diaz.

DANCE THE KNIGHT AWAY: Seniors Fidel Sanchez-Rodas, Santiago Delgado-Morrison and Daniel Lackey dance while doing a “grito,” a type of scream, to the song “La Chona.”

For Sanchez-Rodas, prom was a night to remember.

“It [prom] was the first time in a long time that I got to go out as a group with some friends,” Sanchez-Rodas said. “We all had an awesome time making memories together. We took lots of photos and I got to see my friends sing, which was sweet and hilarious.”

For Sanchez-Rodas and his friends, the photo booth was a crowd-pleaser.

“My favorite part of the night was when we took photos at the booth,” Sanchez-Rodas said. “We did model faces and poses and got a chance to look fancy and show off.”

Sanchez-Rodas found the night to be a good buffer before the next portion of the school year, which holds finals and the end of the grading period.

“It was a night of pure relief for me,” he said. “It felt as if it was one big celebration before I have to lock in for the rest of the year.”

While Sanchez-Rodas greatly enjoyed prom, he still had some feelings of melancholy as it posed as the last celebration with his class before graduation.

“It’s sad to see some of my peers go off into the world to pursue their dreams,” he said. “But that night felt like a celebration to all of the seniors: a chance to take it all in and prepare for what’s to come.”

Sanchez-Rodas strongly believes in the importance of students attending their senior prom.

“Prom is a core memory—something you can look back upon and reminisce about,” Sanchez-Rodas said. “As a senior it’s something that makes the whole year special and worthwhile.”

Caption by JoJo Barnard. Photo by Lillian Gray.

PARTY IN AUSTIN, TEXAS: Senior Sofia Orton dances to Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” during prom last Saturday. For Orton, listening and dancing to the song was the highlight of her night. “Everyone was singing and dancing to this song [and] It really just made me smile to see my friends and classmates having so much fun together,” she said.

As for expectations, Orton didn’t have any, but she knew that she would have a great time with all her peers.

“I knew it was going to be a fun night that I’d share with my graduating class,” Orton said. “Plus it was fun to see everyone dancing and singing with each other.”

Orton also shares that the “Enchanted” theme was something that made her excited to go prom shopping, since it aligned with her taste in fashion.

“I did try and coordinate my outfit with the theme,” she said. “My shoes were these sparkly high heels that wrapped up my leg a bit, and I felt like a little forest fairy that would most definitely be spotted in an enchanted forest.”

Caption by Gaby Esquivel. Photo by J. Frank Webster.

A KNIGHT TO REMEMBER: Seniors Santiago Delgado-Morrison, Fidel Sanchez-Rosas and Henry Zabal pose for a photo while all dressed up for prom. For Zabal, it was a fun bonding experience for all the seniors to have together before the year ends. His personal favorite moment of the night was when everyone danced together.

“I really enjoyed when most of the senior class would dance to the same songs, such as ‘Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)’” Zabal said.

Zabal also said seeing everyone’s outfits and their creativity for prom was a cool experience.

“Everyone had amazing outfits,” he said. “My favorite was JJ with a Batman bow tie.”

Although prom was different from what Zabal had in mind, he said it was a memorable part of his high school experience.

“It felt great,” Zabal said. “It was not like anything I expected, definitely going to remember that night for a long time.”

Caption by Josie Mullan. Photo by Tristen Diaz.

A YEAR EARLY TO PROM: Junior Sydney Devereaux dances with senior Chamila Munoz at prom.

“Chamila is super sweet and one of my friends,” Devereaux said. “We went as a big group to prom, but this was one of the first times I had ever hung out with her, and we just really connected.”

Munoz wasn’t the only one Devereaux met during prom night.

“I definitely met a lot of new people and talked to a lot of new people too,” Devereaux said.

But for Devereaux, prom, as fun as it was, was also a little nerve-racking to attend as a junior.

“It was definitely intimidating,” she said. “I thought I was going to be the only junior there, but I was relieved to see a lot of other juniors I knew.”

Despite the nerves, Devereaux says she won’t forget the dancing.

“I’ve never really danced before, so it was definitely new,” Devereaux said. “And I definitely feel like I had to put myself out there and dance with my friends.”

Caption by Naomi Di-Capua. Photo by Mira Patel.

GOING WITH THE FLOW: Senior Marshall Clifton dances as a circle surrounds him.

Due to the heat, Clifton checked his blazer and made his way to the dance floor just before Cardi B’s “WAP” came on.

“I was just kind of like ‘It’s my senior prom,’” he said. “I have literally nothing to lose and a song came on that I wanted to dance to, so I just danced to it.”

At the moment, Clifton wasn’t thinking about anything. All he wanted to do was dance and have the time of his life.

“I was kind of going with the music with the vibes, and just kind of like groovin’,” Clifton said. “I was having the time of my life.”

For Clifton, his favorite part about prom was getting to go with his group of friends.

“Both my parents have so many regrets from prom, from not enjoying it or going with people that they felt obligated to go with,” Clifton said. “I just went with people who I really care about, not having any inhibitions and not really holding anything back, just having fun and accepting whatever was going to happen.”

Caption by Eliza Jensen. Photo by J. Frank Webster.

A DOUBLE TAKE: Senior Edward Bomba poses with friends this past Saturday night at prom. Bomba had been to another prom the week before and therefore had previous notions of how he expected his own prom to be.

“The other one was kind of dead without any dancing, so that’s how I expected it [McCallum’s prom] to be,” Bomba said.

Surpassing his expectations, prom night was much more enjoyable for Bomba.

“It was really fun,” he said.” I think my favorite moment was seeing my boy Luca getting crowned prom king.”

Reminiscing on high school, Bomba said prom was a nice way to gather everybody together.

“It was just nice seeing the people I’ve been in school with for the past four or more years having fun together,” he said.

Observing his peers around him, Bomba was surprised to see his classmates dancing.

“I was surprised almost everyone was dancing,” he said. “I wasn’t really expecting that.”

Stating himself as someone who doesn’t usually enjoy dances, Bomba said this one really stood out for him.

“I thought this one was very well done,” he said. “It was memorable since we’re getting so close to graduation, and I want to savor every moment I have left with my friends.”

Caption by Priya Thoppil. Photo by Tristen Diaz.

BESTIES TAKE ON PROM: Senior Bella Gonzales dances with junior Helen Rodgers during prom last weekend.

“At dinner before I told my friends they better dance with me and they told me ‘no,’” Gonzales said. “But Helen said, ‘Of course I’ll dance with you,’ so Helen was the first friend that started dancing.”

Instead of taking a traditional date, Gonzales invited various junior friends to join her at prom.

“Instead of having a guy date, I invited a bunch of my junior friends,” she said. “I actually am so happy with that decision because it was just so fun having all my girls with me.”

While the day of prom provided many fun events besides just the dance, Gonzales still enjoyed the dance itself the most.

“The whole day of prom there are so many fun things to do,” Gonzales said. “We made bouquets together and got ready, but I was most excited to be at prom and see everyone I knew, and to see everyone dressed up.”

Gonzales especially appreciated the vibe stablished at prom.

“It was such a positive environment where everyone was hyping each other up, and we were all so high energy,” Gonzales said. “It’s just such a positive environment at prom where everyone is so happy and having a good time.”

Besides the welcoming atmosphere, Gonzales especially looked forward to the dancing.

“My friend Ellie and I were getting into the song ‘Beauty and the Beat’ together, and also ‘Cupid Shuffle,’” she said. “They are just such classics.”

When looking back on the dance and her senior year as a whole, Gonzales says she will forever remember how kind the class of 2024 is.

“I will always remember how close and how kind every single person in our class is,” Gonzales said. “I feel like we have no mean girls, no enemies, and we all love each other and love being together.”

Caption by Naomi Di-Capua. Photo by Sophia Manos.

BOPPING TO THE BEAT: Senior El McGinnis dances with senior Olivia Hexsel at Brazos Hall during prom night. For McGinnis, the best part of the experience was seeing the senior class come together for a shared evening of fun.

“It was awesome,” McGinnis said. “Everyone was dancing the whole time, which made it even better. Everyone [was] having a good time.”

McGinnis also enjoyed seeing Hexsel and senior Luca Leone be honored as prom royalty after weeks of voting by the senior class.

“[My favorite part was] watching my friends win prom king and queen,” McGinnis said.

Despite the fun-filled activities of the night, McGinnis felt prom was slightly bittersweet, serving as a marker of the end of her time in high school.

“I am so excited to graduate and experience a whole different environment surrounded by people who share the same passion as me,” McGinnis said. “But I will miss seeing my friends every day.”

Caption by Alice Scott. Photo by J. Frank Webster.

AN ENCHANTED PROM NIGHT: Seniors Madi Briggs and Hannah Herrera pose for a picture while attending their senior prom with their dates.

For Herrera, prom night was especially memorable because of her hands-on role bringing the dance to life. As senior class president, not only did Herrera have a unique position making prom happen, she got to attend the dance with her friends and celebrate the night knowing she contributed to the event.

“The best part was being able to be in control of a huge and memorable thing for seniors,” Herrera said. “It was forever a core memory for all.”

Herrera and her StuCo peers organized the decor, picked the venue and the theme: “Enchanted Garden.” For Herrera, getting to have a dual role in the dance made the experience more unique, something she said she wouldn’t trade for anything.

“It felt honorary [and] also just exciting,” Herrera said. “I was wanting to make sure that everyone was happy and would be interested in the same ideas I had for prom.” 

Organizing the dance took months of planning, prep and volunteers, all essential components to making the dance run smoothly.

Caption by Chloe Lewcock. Photo by Tristen Diaz.