An Evening in Monet’s Garden

Preston Rolls

OH CRAP: Gathered around, senior Sophia Ahrens, Madison Horner and Avery Schmidt intensely watch their mock game of Craps. There was a separate room full of mock games such as poker and black jack. ‘’Having all the gambling tables was a fun way to take a break from the dancing, it festivities,” Horner said.

Preston Rolls, Photo Editor

Class of 2018 shares a final dance

Photo by: Preston Rolls
HANDS HIGH: Junior Josh Gause joins his friends on the dance floor as they enjoy the 2018 prom. The dance lasted from 8 to 11 p.m. with people on the floor all night. “The venue was pretty big and it was well decorated,” Gause said. “It was a hype night and my favorite was the dancing and the food.”

Bright  colors illuminate the dance floor. The music is cranked to the highest volume. Hands go up in the air as Bowie seniors make their last prom one to remember.

This year’s prom theme was Monet’s Garden, which was planned and decorated by the Class of 2018 officers who have been discussing prom since freshman year.

“We seriously started to suggest themes for prom this year,” senior Natalie Haddad said. “We decided to go with Monet’s Garden, because it’s a very elegant theme that everyone would appreciate.”

Photo by: Preston Rolls
GAME OF THRONES: Accepting the crown, seniors Avery Schmidt and Matthew Wheeler were chosen as Prom King and Queen. The senior class voted on who they wanted for the prom king and queen. “We weren’t expecting it at all and it was really neat because the seniors were the ones who voted for us,” Schmidt said.

The role of the senior class officers are to fund-raise for their prom and they have been doing so since their freshman year.

“We started raising money our freshman year,” senior Avery Schmidt said. “From all four years of Bulldogs and Hot dogs t-shirt sales, doing concession stands after school, spirit nights at restaurants and dodge ball our junior year.”

When planning the prom, the seniors had to find a suitable venue to hold their event and of course all of the decorations that would fit their theme.

“We first had to make sure the venue was large enough for the amount of Bowie students attending,” Schmidt said. “After we checked out the venue we then had to make sure all of the decorations that we wanted to include would fit in our budget.”

Preparing and decorating a big venue required a lot of people, so the 2019 class officers helped in the process of setting up for the prom.

“Me and the other class officers helped set up prom and then I also helped people check in,” junior Jessica Stewman said. “Some of the other officers helped with coat check, and overall I had a really fun time at prom.”

Photo by: Preston Rolls
GETTING LOW: Senior Student Council President Jimmy Counihan shows off his dance moves during prom. A lot of planning went into each person’s prom: attire, transportation and dinner were only part of it. “So because I’d been to prom before I had already been exposed to all of the planning and prep that went into it like getting the bus, getting a house and dinner reservations,” Counihan said.

Every prom needs a good DJ, so the class of 2018 officers had to find a DJ in time before the prom started.

“For us, the DJ was one of the most stressful things,” 2018 class sponsor Karl Lauer said. “Making sure he shows up and making sure he got all of his equipment set up properly.”

Every prom takes months to plan and each prom has had a different theme, location and atmosphere.

“The prom last year was really good,” Haddad said.  “We in no shape want to compare or diminish their hard work, but I’m very proud of the Class of 2018 officers  and the work they did for this years prom.”

Ultimately, the goal for the prom committee was to ensure that the seniors attending prom had a good time at their last dance.

“My hopes for all the student going to prom were just that they had a fun time,” senior Emma Roche said. “I hoped they really soaked up the whole experience and they enjoyed the theme of their final dance.”

Photo by: Preston Rolls
ONE LAST PARTY: On the Dance floor, seniors Ryan Klienert, Lauryn Lomas, and Luisa Quinchia bust out some dance moves. As seniors, this was their last prom at Bowie. “Senior prom was a good way to reflect on the year and the friends and memories I have made throughout high school,” Lomas said.