Picture this: you enter the Staples gym and a huge green parachute coats the ceiling. Loads of green balloons, streamers, and ribbons are attempting to mimic theEmeraldCityfrom “The Wizard of Oz.” All of your friends are dancing in dresses that stretch to the floor.
You walk through the hallway to the cafeteria, where tables adorned with glistening green tablecloths replace the usual lunchtime décor. Your favorite pop band “The Left Banke,” is performing a bubbly tune about a girl named Renee on a nearby, temporary stage.
You are not in Kansas anymore.
You are at Staples’ Junior Prom in 1966, when theme dances were still alive and the old Staples still consisted of multiple separate buildings. Becki Whittington ’67, who was on the Prom Committee both her junior and senior years, recalls that it was a “big deal” to have a lot of amazing decorations to go along with the theme.
But fast forward a decade to Staples’ Senior Prom in 1977, and there wasn’t any theme at all.
“To have a themed prom would have been giving in to the old fashioned ways of our parents,” Amy Leonard ’77 said, a mother of a current Staples sophomore. “In the 70s, it was all about doing things differently.”
Leonard remembers her prom due to the popular music at that time: Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, the BeeGees, Queen, and Abba in particular. She said that because they didn’t have a lot of other opportunities to go to dances and be fancy, “this was the big one.”
Although prom was an important event even back then, it has changed in scale over the years.
“It was not nearly as big of a deal as the proms are now. Girls didn’t get their makeup, hair and nails done. There were no picture parties or limos. You bought a dress downtown a week or so in advance,” Leonard said.
Lee Saveliff ’79, who has a junior daughter at Staples, remembers wearing a “a Gunne Sax dress—which were popular back then—that was long and light blue with a little print,” from an old Main Street clothing store called Country Gal.
And much like long dresses, going toCompoBeachis a longstanding tradition for Senior Prom.
But instead of having the option of going to the beach directly after the dance, custom back then was to have breakfast at Compo the next morning — cooked by school administrators.
That’s not the only thing that’s changed. A favorite part of prom for many current students is the pre-dance picture taking with each “group.” But for a lot of alumni, it was typical to take photos with only your date and then go out to dinner with a big group of couples.
Leonard went to a steak house inDarienwith around 40 of her friends.
“Back then, there were not as many restaurants to choose from, and people did not go out they way people do now,” she said. “It all felt pretty special.”
Nevertheless, despite all the differences, some things remain timeless. A tradition that has seemed to carry is the ever-popular idea of after-parties.
Leonard says that she and her friends tended to bounce from party to party, eventually ending up at the old Friendly’s inPlayhouse Square. For Whittington it was more relaxed; she remembers playing pool and listening to records until early morning.
“The goal was to stay out all night,” Leonard said.
Current students who have attended prom agree.
“I definitely look forward to the after party more because it is the most memorable part of the night,” Olivia Hammer ’12 said.
This opinion seems to be widespread among the students of Staples. Jessica Menachemson ’12 also thought that the after-party ended up being her favorite memory.
Suzanne Propp ’81, who is a mother of a Staples junior and a local music teacher, said, “The dances themselves were just okay and even a little awkward.”
The secret to a good night? According to Propp, it’s simple: don’t do anything stupid, and go with a person you’ll be able to laugh with. And for boys: “Be gracious to your date’s parents, bring a pretty corsage,” and always stick with your date.
Whether you attended prom in the 70s, 80s, or are preparing to attend your first, every person agrees that their prom memories are, well, unforgettable.
