Olivia Burnett, Picture Editor

Prom has been a long-standing tradition for many. It allows the students to have an experience with their friends for one of the last times in high school. At Catasauqua, many students are in school with the same people that they met the first day of kindergarten. After knowing these people for so long, the school allows these students to celebrate their friendships at prom. Prom has become a rite of passage for teens, it is one of the last events that they are able to participate in before they leave CHS.

Each grade at CHS has three years to fundraise for prom. Class advisers work very hard to and help all of the students fundraise so that they can have a nice prom that does not cost too much. If each grade is proactive and each student participates in fundraising, the cost of prom can be reduced greatly.

Girls only have certain times in their life when they can pick out a fancy dress, get their hair and makeup done and be able to remember these moments forever. Women typically can only do this on their wedding day, but they can also do it for their prom. It gives teens a night that they can forget about all that they are about to encounter in the real world.

After graduation, these kids will have to go out into the real world and become adults. Some of them will enter the workforce, some will go to attend college and others will venture down different paths. They will all separate and possibly never see each other again. Prom can give students one last time to celebrate their accomplishments with the people that they have lived life with for so long and have built such tight bonds with.

In the end, it is worth the effort for all of the lasting memories that can be made at the prom.

Julia Dolon, Picture Editor

Prom is a big event for a lot of high school students, but does it have to be so expensive? Prom can cost a ridiculous amount of money, which some students cannot afford. Prom, in total, can range anywhere from $175 to around $1,150 according to PromGirl, a prom dress retailer.

A lot of students in their junior and senior years have jobs and have to work for their money. Minimum wage in Pennsylvania is only $7.25 an hour. A student who wants to earn $175 would have to work at least 24 hours.

PromGirl averages costs at $70 a ticket, $100 a dress, $30 for shoes, $25 for jewelry, $10 for a small bag, $100 to rent a limo, and $30 for hair, makeup or nails for girls who attend prom. That conservative cost analysis totals $335. It can cost a guy $140 for a tux, $30 for a corsage and a boutonniere, plus however much money they spent on the “promposal”.

There is not anything wrong with having a nice, fancier prom, because students never experienced anything like it. There are, however, ways to make it cheaper for students.

Tickets could be drastically cheaper when the high school hosts the event, like this year, instead of an expensive venue. Girls can find nice dresses for discounted prices and do their own hair, makeup and nails, or find a friend that can help. Fun memories can be made getting ready for prom with friends. It also doesn’t have to be so much pressure for guys to ask girls to prom with an extravagant “promposal,” and it can be embarrassing and a waste of money if the girl says no.

Prom can be great for students, and they can make lasting memories, but it doesn’t have to be such a big expense for them.