Prom From The Past

Prom is sneaking up on upperclassmen extraordinarily quickly, and many of us are rushing to find the perfect dress/suit, a place to take prom photos, and dates. I’m a senior and I have been stressed for months because I truly want my final high school dance to be spectacular. Therefore, while I should be writing articles for Talon, I find myself scrolling through different dress sites trying to find my dream dress…or a dress that’s under a thousand dollars. But while scrolling through these sites, I noticed some dresses that were a little…ummmm…vintage? And this made me wonder: what did Christian Brothers teachers wear to their proms? 

Mr. Tony Hock went to his prom in 1981 and remembers it fondly. He distinctly remembers listening to “Whip It” by Devo and “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar. It seems to me that Mr. Hock was getting down at his prom. I loved his dates classic silk black dress, with the white gloves, and pearl accessories. Mr. Hock clearly has great taste because his date would later be his wife! 

Now let’s bring it to the early 2000s. When Beyoncé, Britney Soears, and Kelly Clarkson were the “newest and coolest.” Mrs. Erin Hanshew gave me an insight on her prom which she attended in 2003, which is only one year before I was born! Now I’m feeling old. 

“The theme was Under the Sea and it was at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific,” she states with her adorable smile. Speaking of which, look at her cheesing in her prom picture!

Mrs. Hanshew gave me a list of the songs her and her friends were most pumped up about: “In da Club” by 50 Cent, “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce, “The Way You Move” by Outkast “Ignition (Remix)” by R. Kelly, “Hot in Here” by Nelly. I think we need to bring these songs back this year!

While both Mr. Hock and Mrs. Hanshew had dates, there were also teachers who stuck with their closest friends. For example, Ms. Heather Christianson went to her senior prom with her best friends whom she still keeps in touch with. Isn’t that sweet?!

“This is my prom photo from 2001- my senior year. I also went junior year but this is my favorite photo because my three best friends and I took it together instead of with our dates,” Ms. C exclaimed.

She still remembers some of the songs that were played on her special night, specifically songs such as NSYNC, Michael Jackson and Britney Spears

“Boyz II Men for the slow songs even though they were somewhat old by 2001. No one has better slow songs.” She says. “Fight me on this.“

I choose not to fight one of my favorite teachers on which slow song is best.

Now lets bring it back to the 80’s, where big hair was all teens could talk about!

Mrs. Powers rocked her prom in 1984 and she looks wonderful. Joe Powers (’23), I think you should bring back your mom’s purple look for our senior prom this year!

I think the decorations could use some work, but overall, Mrs. Powers is totally tubular!

It was fun going down memory lane. I think we need to give our teachers more credit for their crazy radical style.

I hope to see everyone at Upper Division Ball! Make sure to have a blast, dance your hearts out, and enjoy this wonderful night with your closest friends. I cannot wait to see all the dresses and suits this year! And hey, maybe one day a future Christian Brothers student will write an article on what students on 2023 wore to prom.