Rather than being hosted in Sanford, this year’s prom was held at Chatham Mills in Pittsboro. This prom was organized and decorated by art teacher Leslie Burwell.
“The space was easier to decorate,” Burwell said. “We decided to go with the theme of the Roaring Twenties. The Mill was at the height of its day during the twenties, so I thought that would be a beautiful way to accent the architecture like the windows.”
Students enjoyed the decorations and classiness of the venue.
“I think the decorations were more artistic,” senior Taylor Robertson said. “Prom was simple, but artistic, and very different from last year.”
Although most students liked the change in venues, some were uncomfortable in the smaller space.
“I think the venue was very pretty, but I didn’t like how small it was and how I was constantly touching another person,” senior Cali Powell said.
Because of a record-breaking student attendance at prom and limited parking space, valet parking was offered. 211 cars were valeted this year, while last year there were only 125 cars.
“I think a lot of people felt very classy that we had valet parking,” Burwell said. “Because of the rain it was even classier, because people got escorted with umbrellas to the door.”
With the large number of students attending, prom committee also had to set up an outdoor tent to accommodate.
“We had to put up an outdoor tent and get everything set together very last minute,” Burwell said. “To me, that added a really nice element, because if you got hot from dancing you could go outside and get some water and cool off, then come back in and dance some more. Some people like to talk and the music in the ballroom was loud, so it gave people that coffee house feel. I think that was an elegant part.”
Despite the smaller size of the venue, students were impressed with the elegance of prom.
“All in all, we had a ton of unknown factors,” Burwell said. “I think it went really well for the first time at this venue.”
– By Katie Robbins
