Students watched the rain continue to pour and worried that their junior prom would not be all that they had hoped for. Pictures at the school had already been moved inside, and students needed umbrellas in order to protect their outfits for the night.

However, the nerves of everyone began to calm down as the buses arrived at Macaluso’s, and the students sat down at their respective tables to begin the evening.

On Friday, May 13, the Glen Rock Junior Prom took place at Macaluso’s in Hawthorne from 6:30 to 11 p.m. The night was filled with plates of food, tables of laughter, and a dance floor full of energy. The night was described by many as “fun” or “exciting,” but for Class of 2017 Vice President David Belkin, the night was perfect.

“It went well,” Belkin said. “I couldn’t picture it being better.”

Many students had smiles on their faces throughout the night. For the junior class officers, their faces were filled with relief, as they quickly saw everything come together after months of hard work.

“It was beyond relieving,” said Elizabeth Alba (’17), president of the junior class. “It felt great to know that everyone was having fun and that it all worked out as planned.”

Since the Class of 2017 officers had been raising money for the night since the beginning of the school year, they all hoped that the night would be nothing but perfect. However, their excitement for the night was mixed with fear as the officers wondered how many people would attend the event. For Alba, the fear of low participation remained throughout the year until the forms were finally handed in.

“At first we were nervous about how many people would go and if they would have a good time,” Alba said. “But a lot of people ended up going and really enjoyed themselves.”

In addition to the music and dancing, the night was filled with buffets of appetizers and desserts, along with the choice of steak, chicken, or fish. Away from the dance floor, a photographer stood next to his camera, as students put on props and had pictures taken of them with their friends.

“The photo booth was a lot of fun,” Alba said. “It was good that we got to take home the pictures so we had something to remember the night.”

To many students, the only negative of the night was the weather. The rain began late afternoon on the day of the prom, and continued until the end of the night. This caused pictures at the school to be moved from the beautiful outdoors to the crowded cafeteria. However, once they were able to get past this bump, the students were able to enjoy the rest of the night.

“I wish that pictures could have been taken outside,” Alba said. “but there wasn’t anything we could do about the weather.”

With the conclusion of the 2016 junior prom, the Class of 2017 officers continued their planning for their senior prom. Although there is still more planning to do, they hope that the night will  be as successful as Friday night.

“We picked a location for senior prom and we are still deciding on a date,” Alba said. “Picking a date is hard because we are trying to work around the AP testing schedule for next year.”