Upperclassmen Asking Underclassmen to Prom

Senior%2C+Meghan+Godell+asking+junior%2C+Ryan+Gladstone+to+prom+at+his+baseball+game.+

Meghan Godell

Senior, Meghan Godell asking junior, Ryan Gladstone to prom at his baseball game.

Taylor Simmons, Staff Writer

Junior Ryan Gladstone is preparing for a baseball game when it happens. It is not unexpected, as he is currently dating senior Meghan Godell, but it still catches him by surprise when he sees the three posters she is holding up, asking him to prom. It’s not unusual for juniors to attend prom, but the issue is still debated by many.

“I think some people have an issue with underclassmen being at a ‘senior prom,’” senior, Meghan Godell, said. “To me it’s okay. If you are going to ask someone to prom you can take whoever you want.”

Godell is a senior that is asking junior, Ryan Gladstone to prom. She believes that if you’re a senior you should be able to ask whoever you want.

“I think having an underclassman as my date is cool,” Godell said. “He’s my boyfriend so I guess things would be different if he was just my date.”

Junior Ryan Gladstone is also attending prom this year with Godell and understands why some seniors would be hesitant about underclassmen going to prom. At the same time he also thinks that age shouldn’t matter.

“Maybe some seniors would be skeptical about underclassmen being there,” Gladstone said. “Once the jams come on, I don’t think anyone cares. As long as you have a group of people to dance with and whatnot, I don’t think the age matters.”

Senior Ayanna Wyatt thinks that only seniors should be allowed to go.

“No [underclassmen should not be allowed to go to prom],” Wyatt said. “It’s a senior prom for a reason. It’s our time to shine.”

Wyatt accepts that underclassmen can come to the prom, but she would rather it not be all of the grades.

“It’s okay [for seniors to ask underclassmen to prom] I guess,” Wyatt said. “I’d say only juniors though.”

Junior Kellie Chuba talks about how she has no qualms against seniors asking underclassmen to prom, even if it’s not a choice she would personally make.

“I probably wouldn’t ask an underclassmen to prom when I become a senior,” Chuba said. “I don’t talk to many of them, but I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

Senior, Sam Wolfe, has disagreements on why seniors wouldn’t be allowed to ask other underclassmen to prom. He thinks that seniors can take anyone they want to prom.

“No I don’t think age or grade plays any role at how people behave at prom,” Wolfe said. “I feel that it’s the same as having a senior go to prom with a senior. I don’t think it really matters if seniors ask juniors.”

Senior Maddie Moore is now going to prom for her third year now and thinks that anyone should be able to go to prom, but it may not be the most comfortable place if you are a underclassmen.

“I feel like anyone should be able to go to prom; it’s a great experience,” Moore said. “Personally I feel like the younger you are the more uncomfortable you are at prom because you don’t know that many people and they aren’t all your friends and it’s not your dance.”

Being an underclassmen attending prom is something that has spurred many debates, and can lead to feelings of anxiety for underclassmen attending, as Moore explains.

“I was [hesitant to go to prom] because I didn’t know what to expect,” Moore said. “I was scared and nervous at first, but when I got there I was fine.”