Should Proms be held in Decorated Gym's?

[JVL1018]

I graduated in 1989 and our prom was held in a very nice place--the prom was free-we did fundraisers all through high school(selling M&Ms mostly LOL),
so it didn't matter if it was in a gym or a hall-the price was the same for students-free.
A nice sit down dinner at the place was incuded at the prom as well. If we had it in the gym we wouldn;t have gotten dinner.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I graduated High School 25 years ago and even back then proms were always in catering halls.

Same here except 24yrs ago.

 

[MushyMushy]

I graduated in 1985. We had a Cinderella ball in the fall and the prom in the spring. The ball was held in the gym, and the prom was at a country club of some sort. For whatever reason, I have much fonder memories of the ball in the gym! I can still picture how our nasty old gym was transformed into this beautiful wonderland. I went with the same boy to both of them, so it wasn't that.

All our other dances were held in the cafeteria.

 

[almburr]

mine was in 92 & 93 and were held in the gym. Still in same town and it is still in the same gym. there are no limos around to rent, and no fancy places to eat,and no tickets to buy for prom

The jrs are the ones who pay for it, the Jr mothers do all the cooking. The Jrs pick out the menu. THen everyone goes to the after prom.

 

[mamacatnv]

What the heck are the spending $85 on? A decorated gym and a DJ can't cost that much.

Around here that what tickets for a hotel prom with dinner cost!

I haven't a clue how the money is spent but I am not really hearing any grumbling so the kids must be okay with what is going on.

However, a decorated gym and DJ could add up depending on what is done and how many people are planning on attending the event.

 

[Anewman]

Some halls/restaurants can be a better deal than holding the prom in the gym.

I know my sister helped organize the prom once when they used the Queen Mary(docked in Long Beach), the meeting coordinator gave them the hall as long as they paid for dinner(less than 20 bucks per for steak). They(QM staff) did most of the decorating and all of the serving. Sure Dinner in the gym might be cheaper, but I dont think it would be much cheaper. IMO the little extra goes a long way.

 

[Disney Doll]

I voted "Other" because I see good and bad changes from the Dark Ages when I went to prom. (I have 2 teenagers now).

I think the $$$$ that kids spend (or their parents) on tickets, ballroom rental, limousines, dresses, tuxes, flowers, dinner, hair, nails, makeup, tans, massages, photo packages, etc. is climbing at an insane rate. In a lot of ways, the crepe-paper decorated gym was better. I live in upper-middle-class suburbia and the amount spent on designer dresses alone makes my jaw drop (not my DD).

One of the best changes that has been implemented in our school district is the school-sponsored after prom that goes from midnight to 5:00 a.m. It has really cut down on the drinking incidents and potential driving fatalities because it's a lock down - if you leave, you can't reenter. They have great activities and raffles, with bigger prizes awarded later into the event (you must be present to win).

I also like the fact that the school refuses to allow admittance to the prom in the first place if you've been drinking and/or kicks you out if you're caught with any booze while at prom. (Lots of people disagree with me on this one, though). They use breathalyers.

What she said.

 

[NotUrsula]

I think it depends on whether your HS was rural or not, and also on the region.

Mine was rural, and was also in the South, and it probably would have been in the gym if district rules had not forbidden on-site social events. You will all love this one: since 1967 that school has not held a dance on-site. The original reason for that was that any on-site dance would have to be racially integrated, and the district was afraid that riots might break out. No one had ever tested the theory, you understand; they didn't want to take a chance. So, every year there were two proms, both held in the same location, but on different dates, and it continued that way for quite some time, because until fairly recently there was still a racial divide when it came to the type of music that the students wanted -- the white kids tended to want rock or country while the black kids wanted funk or soul. (Of course, in the old days we had an open bar at prom, too!) In recent years the musical divide has dwindled, so now that school has a single prom, and of course, with the stricter liquor laws, the open bar is gone. (Though hip flasks are still quite common.)

So where was the prom held? The exhibit hall of the local agricultural fairground, and that is where it is still held, decades later. Throughout the South, and especially in the rural South, it is fairly uncommon for a prom to include dinner -- you go to dinner on your own before the dance starts.
There are no catering halls as folks from the northeast would know them, and no hotels with function rooms, either -- at least not less than an hour away.