Prom season is now in full swing! As other schools go through with their proms Mercy prepares for the night of nights with the announcement of the Prom Court. With careful selection and lots of ballots being turned in and votes being counted, the excitement begins to escalate with the announcement of the nominees. The nominees for the junior class, which is labeled as princess, are Emily Lee, Landry Lehan, Teila Nyenga, Gray Temme, and Saniah Swait. The nominees for the senior class, labeled as queen, are Ava Conigilo, Hailee Davis, Justine Niyonzima, Ariana Tamayo, and Bella Earl. 

How the Prom Court Works

For Mercy High School’s Prom Court there are two elected princesses and one elected queen. The voting works by the junior and senior class receiving ballots. Then the voting begins with the juniors voting for a top five for princess and seniors voting the same for their queen. After the top five are narrowed down, juniors then vote for the two princesses and the queen and the seniors vote for their queen. Then the princesses and queen are announced at the event itself. 

The History of Prom Court

Throughout the years Mercy’s process with the prom court has changed a lot for the right reasons. Up until about ten years ago, any girl that was nominated for prom court had to be escorted by a male to the stage for the coronation. This caused a lot of controversy because not every girl had or needed a date for prom and they were told to “borrow” a date from their friends or to go and find someone to escort them to the coronation if they didn’t have a date. Another reason this seemed out of date was that women are completely capable of walking up to a stage and to a possible crowning by themselves- after all, Mercy is a women empowerment school! This rule was abolished after multiple complaints by the staff and students. Otherwise Mercy’s prom has held a good reputation for being a lot of fun for the girls and their dates. 

Prom at a Different Place

This year’s prom is getting a different atmosphere with an exciting new venue. It is being held at the Durham Museum, which is a very different venue for the special dance. In the past Mercy has had the event at Field Club and almost at The Scoular Building (prom was cancelled during the pandemic) so this change is well appreciated. “I am very excited to have prom at a different and better venue, we are very grateful for the space” Grace Denning says when asked about the exciting change. Lauren Maass also stated her excitement. “I think it is very unique to have the event at the Durham, and I am very excited.” The students of Mercy High School are very excited to attend prom at such a monumental location. 

Overall, the Mercy student body is pumped for the upcoming event. With prom-posals and dresses being shared to their friend groups, the buzz around prom has yet to fade, especially with the promised half day for the juniors and seniors the Friday before prom. It seems that Mercy has so far had a successful prom season!