An integral part of most high schoolers’ experience is prom, and in the coming weeks, most of our sending schools are having their own. But never fear, despite being in rural Maine, we had our own prom. Our dance floor was the barn adjacent to our dining room. The prom planning committee, which had been established less than a week before the dance, had sent a survey around to get the community’s input. Andrew, the faculty on duty last night, emphasized the need for an arc with the music, to ensure the right mood throughout. This is a very serious matter.

I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this yet: our prom is called “Gorp Morp.” Gorp, trail mix, is a very important part of Chewonki and especially appreciated over solos. Morp is prom backwards and rhymes with gorp. To get the semester hyped for Saturday night, Gorp Morp memes were posted all around campus. 

Before the dancing starts, one must have an outfit and find someone to go with. On Friday afternoon, after clearing out the barn and assembling string lights and decorations from the cabins, there was a clothing exchange to ensure that everyone had suitable attire. The prom committee explained that any promposals were solely platonic because prom is a celebration of the semester and our community. Their guidelines for promposals were they had to be funny. I think we’ve followed through. The best promposals were, of course, the public ones. Andrew proposed to the other faculty on duty, Paloma, with a poem during lunch on Friday. The entire staff and semester students burst into laughter and applause.

While the lead-up to the dance was very exciting, I do believe the dance followed through. Three extra people joined in on dish crew to ensure everyone had enough time to get ready. At 7:30 everyone was on the quad and nearby vicinity taking photos. And then the dancing began. Some highlights include Lise hitting the dance floor and Paloma doing the limbo. Everyone enjoyed the cotton-eyed joe and cha cha slide. The dancing ended with “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” with the semester in a circle with arms around each other swaying back and forth. It was a moment of reflection and sadness amongst a night of fun that our semester is coming to an end.

Lila Kleppner, Wilbur Cross High School, New Haven, CT