The remaining tickets were laid upon the Bobcat Bistro’s lunch table on the morning of May 19th, only one day until Oyster River High School’s 2017 Prom, Under the Lights. Seniors and juniors flooded the cafeteria, lining up to score a ticket for themselves and their date. However, with record breaking sales, some ended up with no ticket – leaving them to rely on others to sacrifice their own.
“ORHS’ prom had never reached 300 [tickets sold], and we ended up selling 320 tickets. It was really unfortunate that some people didn’t get to go because of that,” says Hannah Jane Wilson (‘18), member of ORHS’ 2017 prom committee. As prom season approached, many seniors had shown disinterest into attending prom, and many students from other schools attended. The cap at 300 was due to a fire hazard, but this was pushed as the committee allowed 20 extra tickets to be sold. With many seniors deciding last minute to attend, the committee was overwhelmed on the day of prom. “We didn’t have enough favors, and Saturday morning Madame [Mrs. Milliken] had to go back to Lindt and buy more chocolate just to be safe,” says Wilson.
Michael Donovan (‘17) was one of the students who waited until Friday to buy tickets and left the ticket counter empty handed. “I thought they were joking that they had sold out of tickets. When I realized that they were being serious, I didn’t know what to do,” says Donovan, who didn’t tell his date until Bengt Jobe (‘17) and Ryan Cunningham (‘17) came to the rescue and sacrificed their tickets. “He [Donovan] is the nicest, genuine guy. I had gone the year before and had my experience, so I was fine giving my ticket up. I still had a great night and was totally happy with the way it worked out,” says Cunningham.
If Cunningham and Jobe hadn’t given up their tickets for Donovan and his date, Sydnee Aubin (‘17), the couple’s night would not have ended as memorable as it had. Donovan and Aubin were announced as the ORHS’ 2017 Prom King and Queen. “We weren’t expecting it at all! We were so happy; the first thing he [Donovan] said was ‘Can you imagine if I never got those tickets?’” says Aubin. The two of them were crowned, and continued to dance their night away under the lights.
The trend of couples being crowned continued through the night, with Samuel Davies (‘18) and Natalie Durant (‘18) being named Prom Prince and Princess. “Winning was the highlight of my night! It was awesome that Sam and I won together. Winning together made it seem more about us as a couple than us as individuals,” said Durant.
However, although the spotlight was placed on ORHS’ couples, many juniors and seniors attended prom solo with their friends. “You don’t need a date to have fun at prom, which is one of the best parts. I had a great night with everyone in the senior class that went, and it’s these memories that make the end of senior year special,” says Sierra Carpenter (‘17).
Prom Prince: Samuel Davies
Prom Princess: Natalie Durant
Prom King: Michael Donovan
Prom Queen: Sydnee Aubin
Written by Andrea Staples