In early May, principal Kenneth DeMoss announced that next year’s prom date will be changed. DeMoss said that this is the first time the date has been changed since he started working here. Instead of being held on the first weekend of May, it will be on May 10, sharing the second weekend of May with Mother’s Day.

According to DeMoss, one reason the decision was made was to solve conflicts between schools. When PHS chose prom to be the first weekend of May, it was the only local high school holding it that night. Once Parkersburg South’s date was changed to the first weekend of May and conflicted with PHS, students were forced to choose between going to a certain school’s prom rather than having the option to go to both.

“We’re trying to have more opportunities for people to come,” said DeMoss. “We’ll have kids from South. It’ll probably increase attendance at both proms.”

Another benefit of changing the date to the second weekend of May is that Grand Pointe Conference Center is available, and has already been reserved by PHS for next year. DeMoss believes that, although it was fine, prom isn’t very good when held in the Fieldhouse. At Grand Pointe, there is much less pressure to set the dance up since the workers take care of everything but decorations. It is also far less expensive for the school without having to purchase items other than decorations, and it will have no issues in holding the capacity needed for the event. In the case of rain, like there was this year, there is an awning in front of the entrance so students can stay dry. The environment at Grand Pointe is much safer as well, and the admin team will have less trouble keeping everyone in one spot due to there only being one possible entrance and only one set of restrooms. A student poll conducted by Junior Cabinet found that most students preferred prom to be at Grand Pointe.

“We talked to Grand Pointe at the beginning of the year and we really want to be able to do it there next year,” said Junior Cabinet sponsor Megan Ashcraft. “We think it’s nicer and easier and cheaper to do it at Grand Pointe so we decided to make the change.”

However, the date is not without conflicts. Though it will no longer clash with South’s prom date, it’s taking place during the regionals competitions for both the tennis and crew teams. 

“In the long run, there’s not a date that’s going to make everyone happy,” said Ashcraft. “If we want to do it at Grand Pointe, that’s when we have to do it.”

The prom date is set to be May 10 at Grand Pointe next year. After a separate poll taken by juniors, the theme was decided to be Once Upon a Time Fairy Tale.