Remy Phan was in a field hockey meeting when one of her friends demanded that she accompany her to the Great Lawn. There, Kiyan Mohammad was waiting with a sign that had a pun for one of her favorite songs, “It’s ok I’m ok” by Tate McRae, which began playing over the loudspeaker.
Spring has sprung, signaling that promposal season is upon us. Shortly after Cotillion, seniors and juniors ask each other with grand gestures, ranging from renting a U-Haul truck to decorated posters with puns.
On March 22, students attended the dance decked out in puffy hair, neons and gaudy jewelry. To introduce the ’80s theme to the student body, the senior parents organized a reveal on the Plaza . Dressed in button-downs and plaid, unassuming professional dancers boogied in flash-mob style to new wave and rock.
An unspoken rule amongst students is that asking someone to prom requires a promposal, whether that entails flowers, a sign or a sweet treat.
Promposals can include big gestures like flash mobs or more thoughtful gestures like personal messages or signs based on shared interests.
In the past few years, promposals have become more prominent in the School community. Gen Z turned the event mainstream through posting their promposals on social media. Now, it is common for students to take inspiration from apps like TikTok and Instagram.
“It’s part of the whole dance experience. Part of it is that you kind of want to outdo everyone. You want to feel the most special,” senior Emarie Dibella said.
Seniors feel more inclined to organize grand promposals.
“Senior year, people think they might as well do it this year because it’s their last year to ask. It’s become a tradition in our generation,” senior Mark Vann said.
Vann, knowing that his date was a big fan of Noah Kahan, crafted a poster with a witty playwriting, “I need to Noah if you Kahan be my prom date” in big block letters.
“I’ve seen a lot of puns on social media, so I wanted to do something related to an inside joke,” Vann said. “It’s supposed to be goofy — it’s a high school tradition.”
Vann also recounts that one of his close friends organized a group to line up wearing color-coordinated shirts that spelled out the word “PROM.” When his date walked out, she was shocked by the public display and immediately said yes.
Promposals ultimately create a sense of community on campus. The freshman and sophomore classes gather around and cheer on juniors and seniors as they use new, creative methods to ask their dates to the dance. Whether someone is attending the dance or merely looking forward to it in their future years, promposals unite students and make school more enjoyable.
