The 2025 prom was held Saturday night at Brazos Hall. The theme of the prom, appropriately, was “Our Last Knight.” Photojournalists and Shield staff reporters Sophia Manos and Fletcher Vandegrift were on assignment and delivered some stellar photos from the event. We are pleased to share some of our favorites as a special bonus photo essay today.

Gallery • 16 Photos

Sophia Manos

CARRIED AWAY: Senior Avi Zeifman and senior Beckett Bishop pose for a photo while dancing the night away at prom on Saturday. Prom was an event that Zeifman had been looking forward to all year and was excited to see it play out. “Prom was so fun, and everyone was dancing,” Zeifman said. “I loved how people weren’t too scared to dance around and enjoy themselves.” The highlight of the night for Zeifman was singing her heart out to her favorite songs in good company. “My favorite part was hanging out with my friends,” Zeifman said. “Although hanging out with them before and after prom was fun, being with them during prom itself was great.” As this was Zeifman’s first and last prom, she wanted to make the most out of it before she goes off to college, leaving her friends behind and starting a new chapter in her life. “I think being a senior is just very fun because everybody becomes friends because it’s our last year in high school, so all of the friend groups kind of merge together and we all start spending time with each other,” Zeifman said. “I’m going to miss that community.” Caption by Sophia Manos.

ONE LAST TIME: Senior Zalie Mann and junior Ronan Henson dance at prom, the last McCallum dance both of them will ever attend. Despite not being a senior, Henson was able to attend with the invitation from his senior friend Gabrielle Rodriquez. Attending Zach Academy for theater next year, this is Henson’s last year at McCallum, and so in that sense, attending prom for him felt like a senior experience.

Henson enjoyed how the night went, and felt that it was a big improvement from the prom he had attended at the same venue a week before.

“I went to Bowie prom, and it was really boring,” he said. “This one was much more fun, everyone was dancing, and it had a much better vibe. I think the environment was super nice, like how it was set up with the lights and music, but everyone dancing and having a good time together made it really fun. We definitely utilized the space much better.”

One thing Henson won’t forget about prom was getting to enjoy being around his senior friends for one of the last times and making memories with them.

“Dancing and getting to reconnect with friends I’ve been making throughout the past three years in one spot was just amazing,” he said. “It felt like a super good ending to the year, and a nice sign off for sure.”

Caption by Priya Thoppil. Photo by Sophia Manos.

REUNION ARENA: Senior Vincent Carney dances with fellow senior Austin Gourrier at senior prom. Carney said the night was amazing.

“There were a lot of moments that made the night memorable, too many to count,” he said. “Getting to hang out with people that I don’t get to be with very often made some awesome memories.”

As soon as he got to Brazos Hall, Carney said he was ready for the dance floor. 

“I’ve always loved dancing around but don’t get the chance to very often,” he said. “The atmosphere and music gave me that opportunity to bust some moves.”

Carney said the thing that made prom so special was getting to be with all his friends he grew up with.

“It’s not often that you get to be in one place with all your friends and people you have known throughout high school,” he said. “Whether that’s because you’ve grown apart or because certain people just don’t hang out with other people. This was one of those times where everyone was together and it was super enjoyable.”

Caption and photo by Fletcher Vandegrift.

DANCING QUEENS AT PROM: Seniors Sofia Thatcher and Mary Mae Forsyth pose for a photo together while the song “Dancing Queen” by ABBA plays during prom on Saturday. 

“It was a great moment to share with Sofia because we have been to Greece together and since the dance was ‘Mamma Mia’ themed, it felt really special to us,” Forsyth said.  

Forsyth’s prom experience was jam-packed, but she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. 

“I had a really great time with my friends, and I love dancing with everyone,” she said. “It was the perfect end to a great senior year, and it couldn’t have gone better.”

While the school dance started at 8 p.m., Forsyth’s day started at 9:45 a.m. First, she made bouquets with the other senior girls and then headed over to her friend’s house to get ready and meet up with all of their parents and dates to take pictures. From there, the group went to a couple different places to see other groups, take pictures and eat dinner. From dinner, Forsyth and her friends Fettied to Brazos and danced at the prom for a few hours.

“We all went to sleep pretty late but it was definitely worth it,” Forsyth said.

Forsyth attended prom with Thatcher and her date Theo Fulton.

“Prom has always been something I’ve thought about in pictures since I was a little girl so it going so smoothly and seamlessly was just the icing on the cake of a great year,” Forsyth said.

Caption by Maya Tackett. Photo by Sophia Manos.

LEVITATING: Senior Sawyer Jonrowe crowd surfs during McCallum’s prom on Saturday. Jonrowe believes that prom was the best night of his life because of the positive vibes surrounding the dance. Before being picked up by the crowd, Jonrowe was practicing dance moves.

“I was dancing, and the crowd formed around me and was cheering me on,” Jonrowe said. “Then, once I finished my breakdancing, I got lifted up, and people started cheering.”

Jonrowe had never experienced anything like that before and was glad that he had practiced dancing before the night of the dance. According to Jonrowe, the moment felt magical.

“I felt like I was floating midair, like I was sitting on a levitating bean bag chair,” Jonrowe said. “It was the first time anything like that happened to me so I felt on top of the world.”

Jonrowe felt that it was important to attend prom because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There was also an element of surprise for Jonrowe in regards to the music choice for the evening.

“[I was surprised] how good the music chosen was,” Jonrowe said. “[There were] lots of good songs to dance to.”

Overall, Jonrowe felt that the night was very special. Jonrowe believes that he will always cherish the prom and remember it forever.

“[Prom] means letting yourself let go of your embarrassment and enjoy the memories to come,” Jonrowe said. “[It] was the best night of my life, and I hope it was for everyone else too!”

Caption by Riley Pita. Photo by Fletcher Vandegrift.

A GOOD KNIGHT: Seniors Sadie Swinney, Felix Murdock, Elyza Bradsby, Mac Lopez, Avery Altuna, Greta Carlson and Callen Romell pose together at the 2025 McCallum prom. For Carlson, this was her first prom, and it became one to remember.

“I really enjoyed getting to see everyone dressed up, and getting ready with my friends,” Carlson said.

Carlson said prom brought her many memories, as it was one of the last events of her high school experience. Carlson enjoyed spending quality time with her friends and making memories before they all went different ways.

“Me and my friends blasted music and helped each other do our hair and makeup,” Carlson said, “Prom was so much fun, and I loved getting to dance with all my friends.”

Caption by Sienna Martens. Photo by Sophia Manos.

A PROM PRIMER: Despite being only juniors, JoJo Barnard and Heidi Wilhelm cut it loose on the dance floor at the 2025 prom. Wilhelm was able to go to prom because of senior Fin Kirsch, along with a group of other seniors with whom she is friends.

Wilhelm said she and Barnard hung out since they were among the few juniors there.

“JoJo was one of the few juniors there, so we were hanging out at prom and just having fun dancing.” Wilhelm said.

One of Wilhelm’s favorite memories was watching the senior class and their close bonds but also getting to experience prom a year early.

“My favorite part about prom was probably just seeing how tight the senior class is,” Wilhelm said. “Since I’m a junior, I liked being able to see how fun prom is, which got me super excited for my senior prom.” 

Although prom is a scene for dancing, Wilhelm expected a lot of people to leave pretty early into the night; however, that was not the case.

“I thought that people would want to leave earlier, but everyone really enjoyed the venue and the music,” Wilhelm said. “All of that was nice because it is a pretty big effort to get prom planned and all of that. It was nice that everyone took advantage of it and had a good time.”

Caption by Piper Norfolk. Photo by Fletcher Vandegrift.

MONARCHS OF THE MOMENT: Seniors Ajay Woolf and Tegan Rutherford pose for a photo in their crowns and sashes after being announced as the 2025 prom king and queen. Rutherford said the decision to run was spur-of-the-moment.

“Once I got the idea, I wanted to see it through, and winning is gonna be something awesome I can tell my kids about later in life,” Rutherford said.

Rutherford was so excited after she realized she had won; she had been nervous leading up to prom.

“The feeling of standing up there with Ajay and holding the tiara was so surreal, and it totally made my whole year,” Rutherford said.

This year’s prom theme was “Our Last Knight.” Rutherford was more than happy with it as this year’s theme.

“Prom totally surpassed my expectations,” Rutherford said. “Honestly, my favorite thing was the whole day leading up to it.”

Rutherford got ready with her friends; they did each other’s hair and makeup and made bouquets.

“As a senior, prom kind of felt like the biggest thing of the year,” Rutherford said, “It was such a fun experience.”

Rutherford loved all parts of prom, getting ready, talking to everyone and dancing.

“I think for the senior class, it really felt like just a huge group of friends,” Rutherford said. “I don’t know how I would even describe prom to someone who didn’t go other than loud, sweaty and so much fun.”

Caption by Josie Linton. Photo by Sophia Manos.

LAST SENIOR DANCE: Seniors Joaquin Reynolds and Helen Rogers share a dance at their senior prom. Reynolds said going with his girlfriend was a really special experience.

“I’ve been waiting for senior prom for a long time,” he said. “When I got there, I just wanted to make the most of the night because you only get one prom. Helen, myself, and all my friends made it a really amazing experience, and I couldn’t have asked for a better time. It will have been a year since Helen and I have been together next week, so I’m glad we got to celebrate early at prom.”

Reynolds said he was one of the first to take action to get into the dancing.

“I saw a lot of people standing around,” he said. “I jumped into the middle of the floor, and we got everybody into the music. When ‘Dancing Queen’ came on, that’s when everybody in the building started having fun.”

Reynolds said one of his most memorable moments was his slow dance.

“I was really into the moment,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking about anything else but making the night fun and memorable. I’m so glad I got to have that experience, and it’s one I’ll never forget.”

Caption and photo by Fletcher Vandegrift.

MEETING EXPECTATIONS: Natacha Perez, Sylvie Powell, and Satya Russ pose for the camera at Saturday’s prom.

Russ said she had a great time at prom.

“Prom was so amazing, and I loved seeing all of my friends and classmates,” Russ said.

Russ talked about how prom is something you hear about at a very young age and look forward to all throughout high school.

“I’ve always been so excited for my prom.”

While she anticipated the event for a long time, she said it was worth the wait and lived up to expectations.

“It was very high energy and a fun night with lots of music and dancing,” Russ said.

Russ loved taking photos before prom and all the social events before and after.

“My favorite part was dancing and hanging out with everyone,” Russ said

For Russ, prom felt like a full circle moment by ending her years at Mac.

Caption by Josie Linton. Photo by Sophia Manos.

LOVE AND BASKETBALL: Seniors Miranda DiGiovanni and Felix Kahlor enjoyed a slow dance at prom on Saturday. The long-awaited moment was thrilling for DiGiovanni, who found the experience a perfect cherry on top of her senior year. She particularly enjoyed the fashion and said that every girl wore a dress that perfectly suited her. According to DiGiovanni, her dance partner also perfectly suited her.

“Felix and I have been together for a while, and we were excited to get all fancy and go to a dance together,” DiGiovanni said. “We got close because of basketball, and now we know everything about each other. Prom was definitely a highlight of my year, and I’m so lucky I got to do it with Felix.”

DiGiovanni emphasized how magical the experience felt. Before prom, she went to dinner with Kahlor, and said that the ambience was quite romantic and exhilarating, including a surprise promposal.

“I was sitting on the couch and Felix was talking to me waiting to turn around,” DiGiovanni said. “When I turned around, he was holding a sign and had some gifts for me. It was so sweet and perfect.”

DiGiovanni, who primarily plays shooting guard, is bound for the Fay Jones School of Architectural Design at the University of Arkansas. Kahlor, who primarily plays point guard, is headed for UT Austin, where he will major in sports management. While neither intends to pursue basketball professionally, they expressed gratitude for the myriad opportunities basketball has brought them— including each other. To DiGiovanni, prom was the perfect way to celebrate that.

“[Ultimately,] my favorite thing about prom was dancing like crazy with everyone and dancing with Felix,” DiGiovanni said.

Caption by Beatrix Lozach. Photo by Sophia Manos.

FUN WITH FRIENDS: Senior Logan Daves, left, poses with friends on prom night at Brazos Hall.

Daves said she had a great time spending time with all her friends before they go their separate ways for college.

“I went with my friends who are actually all in this picture, so I had a lot of fun,” Daves said. “I love our little dresses. We all had a blue color vibe going on that was actually not planned.”

Daves said that she was lucky to find her dream dress early on and feel confident for the big night.

“I actually found it on New Year’s Eve, which I think is kind of fun, I went in not expecting to find anything, and I just tried it on and thought ‘OK, this is perfect,’” Daves said. “I had a lot more fun than I thought I would. I felt confident and felt good.”

As senior year starts to wrap up, Daves said she is feeling nervous but excited for the future.

“I’m ready to graduate, but at the same time, I’m like, ‘What am I going to do after this?’” Daves said.

Caption by Josie Mullan. Photo by Sophia Manos.

CARRIED AWAY: Senior Avi Zeifman and senior Beckett Bishop pose for a photo while dancing the night away at prom on Saturday.

Prom was an event that Zeifman had been looking forward to all year and was excited to see it play out.

“Prom was so fun, and everyone was dancing,” Zeifman said. “I loved how people weren’t too scared to dance around and enjoy themselves.”

The highlight of the night for Zeifman was singing her heart out to her favorite songs in good company.

“My favorite part was hanging out with my friends,” Zeifman said. “Although hanging out with them before and after prom was fun, being with them during prom itself was great.”

As this was Zeifman’s first and last prom, she wanted to make the most out of it before she goes off to college, leaving her friends behind and starting a new chapter in her life.

“I think being a senior is just very fun because everybody becomes friends because it’s our last year in high school, so all of the friend groups kind of merge together and we all start spending time with each other,” Zeifman said. “I’m going to miss that community.”

Caption and photo by Sophia Manos.