For weeks leading up to prom, many faculty members have spoken about how prom is not THE night, but rather just another dance.”  Despite their effort to downplay the meaning of the event, the Class of 2016 had a night to remember.

It is May 7, and the Mount Carmel Class of 2016 is ready to trade in their books and devices for stylish rented tuxedos and dancing shoes.

The day starts out early for the guys and their dates. Whether they are ready hours before, or rush to pick things up at the last minute, there is a lot to do. Plans that were made weeks before are now starting to take shape and the excitement of the night is growing.

The day passes and as the guys and girls finish getting dressed and making sure they look perfect, they meet their dates and other friends to take thousands of pictures at various locations. Among the guys, black is the most popular color and senior Steve Wirtel, along with others, agrees that Terrell Greer is the best dressed with a full wardrobe from Gucci – jacket, pants, shoes – was his watch even Gucci? As friends take pictures with their dates, mothers comment about how much their kids have grown up.

For many prom-goers the ride to prom is as important than prom itself. They rent limos and expensive cars, and some throw in as much as a hundred dollars for a party bus, if the group is big. As the pictures wrap up and the prom attendees say goodbye to their parents and friends, they file into their special vehicle for the night. These rides are the start to an unforgettable night that many of them will never forget.

After the ride from various neighborhoods in the Chicagoland area to Navy Pier’s Crystal Gardens, the prom-goers wait for the doors to open so they can find a table and get to the fun part of the night.

Prom starts with a few words and a quick prayer from Fr. Tony Mazurkiewicz and then it’s time to eat. A wide variety of foods are served with salad pasta and beef being the top choices. Other items like pizza potstickers and vegetarian items are less popular for most of the attendees. The young adults enjoy their meals and then slowly but surely they start to trickle onto the dance floor.

Two by two couples join the fun, and as more dancers come out the more rowdy things become.

“Prom was super fun,” said Andrew Guerra, “something I’ll never forget.”  Throughout the evening, all dance their hearts out and enjoy their last ever dance as Mount Carmel students.

As 11:30 rolls around and the last dance comes and goes, the young adults clean up their tables and grab their various items and file out of the ballroom. From there the young adults split into their groups and head off to various places to celebrate the rest of the night, remembering the great memories they have just made; memories that will last a life time.