At New Ulm High School, prom season brings lots of excitement and preparation for students. From April 7 to April 9, students could purchase grand march tickets in person before tickets went online.
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I feel like prom has been more welcoming over the years. So for sure, I think experience it at least once.
— Sara Marlow
I feel like prom has been more welcoming over the years. So for sure, I think experience it at least once.[/pullquote]
With this year’s Paris-themed prom approaching, students are organizing everything from arrival times to outfits, while the prom committee finalizes decorations and event details. Once prom is over, NUHS offers a post-prom to keep students entertained and out of trouble. At the post-prom prizes and food are offered that cost over thousands of dollars.
At the same time, prom prices for students can range from a couple of hundred dollars to over $1,000, highlighting how students participate in this event.
Prom Planning
Buying tickets for grand march
From April 7 to April 9, students of NUHS were able to sign up for prom and purchase grand march tickets in Mrs. Marlow's room, before and after school.
Each person is encouraged to sign up at the same time as their date or have one person sign both of them up using cash or a check. To attend the grand march, it costs $30 per person, $5 for adults, and $3 for children. Sara
Marlow, a teacher at New Ulm High School, said that tickets are sold in person before online, so that students have a chance to get their family members' tickets before sales open up to the public.
The prom theme this year is Paris. The prom committee works with a decorator in Mankato, and by looking at pictures of materials that they have, a theme is decided for prom.
Junior couples are supposed to be at the high school around 6:15 to check in, and senior couples at 6:45 as the grand march begins at 7:00.
Many prizes set up behind their coordinating raffle buckets at post-prom.
Post-prom after party
After prom, students can attend the post-prom party at the middle school at 11:30 p.m. Post Prom receives numerous donations to provide prizes and food.
Shannon Barie, a prom committee member, said, “As far as food goes, this year we actually worked on getting a lot of local community restaurants to donate.” Applebee's, Happy Joe's, and Fusion each donated around 200 chicken wings to create the battle of the wings, along with Subway, which donated sandwiches.
There will also be many games for students to participate in. Family feud, Black Jack, Plinko, and Bingo allow students to win raffle tickets, which they can then place in a prize box; prize winners are announced at 2:30.
Barie said that around $3,000 was spent on prizes this year out of a total $6,000 raised for post-prom this year. Some of those prizes include an electric scooter, a laptop, a TV, and a country club membership.
“I like the idea of having an after-prom party, you know, we're supposed to try and keep you guys safe,” Barie said.
There are QR codes set up around the school for students to sign up, but students are also allowed to sign up upon entry from 11:30 to 12:15.
Kiyla Kolden and her date Methodious Amoah walking at grand March.
Paying for prom
Students of NUHS attend Prom on April 25, but they also spend various amounts of money leading up to prom.
Methodious Amoah, a prom attendee, said, “I bought my tux and shoes from Sisters and Bridal, which was $200 plus my grand march ticket, so in total I spent $230.”
While Amoah spent around $230, prom attendee Lexi Fluegge said, “altogether, not including the tickets, probably like $1,000.” That includes shoes, jewelry, her spray tan, and dress; she also spent money on hair and makeup. Fluegge bought her dress from Sisters and Bridal, and it cost around $600.
While others spent a lot of money on prom, Kiyla Kolden, a prom attendee, thrifted her dress from the Minnesota Valley Action Council thrift store in Mankato, resulting in a significant difference in the prom spending between Fluegge and Kolden.
Kiyla paid $20 for her shoes, $65 for her hair, $75 on the corsage and boutonniere, $15 on her dress, and $30 for her grand march ticket, the final amount being $205.
Many students at New Ulm High School had a wide range of prices spent on prom, showing the difference in prices that people spend.
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Prom can definitely get expensive, but I think that it’s worth it.
— Kiyla Kolden
