Every year around prom season the air gets a little thicker and mumbled whispers throughout the hallways are full of mystery and intrigue. All the talk of the dance, the dress, and the date produces a lot of drama. Another word often used for this undeniable buzz in the air is called “prama” (or prom drama).

I know what you’re thinking. “I am a mature high schooler and I will not be involved in petty drama over a dance,” but let me tell you, it’s almost unavoidable. Being bombarded with questions like, “who are you going to prom with?,” “what does your dress look like?,” or “where are you going to dinner?” is enough drama for most. This is something I’ve encountered every year among seniors and juniors going to prom. Sometimes even freshmen or sophomores are also included in the mix. Senior Lauren Petty even comments, “What is prom without drama?”

Prom is a special event for most girls and some boys. A lot of pressure tends to surround the subject and this is another reason for “prama.” People take prom very seriously whether its the group you’re going with or where you’re eating dinner. Senior Nate Renfrew comments, “Prom would be a whole lot less complicated if they just served dinner at the venue.”  With all of these decisions to make and no parents to make them for us, we tend to have a few disagreements. Someone doesn’t want to go in a prom group with their ex, or someone doesn’t like Italian food and refuses to eat it on prom night. These seem like childish arguments to have, but I’m sure most will admit they’ve experienced them, or been the cause of some others. Prom is a memory that everyone will most likely remember and everyone wants it to be perfect– the problem is everyone’s idea of “perfect” tends to be very different.

Bryce Schwartz, also a senior, makes the compelling comment, “Prom not war.”  When choosing your dress (or tux) and your dinner date, approach it with peace. As long as you keep the ideals of Ghandi in your head throughout the process, you should make it out alive. Obviously I’m being a little facetious, but you get the idea. If you are happy with your date and your dress then don’t worry about the people around you.

Let’s be real… we’re high schoolers; we can’t avoid drama. And if you can, then you deserve a trophy from me. Amidst all of the drama there’s no reason you should let it ruin your whole prom. If you learn to focus on simply having fun, then all of the details tend to melt away and not matter. Whether you have a date, you’re going in a limo, or you’re riding to Larkspur on a camel, the important part is that you enjoy the moment.