The senior class is in for a night to remember with a historic off-campus after prom.
Artwork by Mia Nogueira
An unparalleled after prom is scheduled for April 23rd at 12:30 a.m. for TJ seniors at the activity-filled Fun City, marking the first time ever Thomas Jefferson High School’s After Prom has been held off campus.
The after prom for Thomas Jefferson is funded and hosted by TJ Partners After Prom Committee, which is made up of volunteer parents whose students attend TJ. Historically, after prom has been held at Thomas Jefferson High School, so the change of venue has been welcomed by attending seniors. Senior John Jones says, “I think it’s going to be really fun. It’s a great location with a lot of options, so I’m glad I don’t have to worry about getting bored.”
Traditionally, after prom is held at Thomas Jefferson and parents spend hours setting up a themed get-together for the students to have a safe place to go after the Prom. The idea of having after prom off campus has been in the making since last year. TJ Parent and After Prom Committee Member Ashley Edelman explains, “The tradition has always been that the junior parents are responsible for cleaning up the gym the morning after the event. Last year about 12-14 of the junior parents had to work all morning and afternoon tearing everything down and putting it in storage. It was hard work but the whole time we were working we talked about ‘How could we do this differently next year?’ That is where the idea began!”
Transportation to after prom will be provided for free and will leave from the TJ parking lot between 11:30 and 12 midnight and return between 4:30 – 5:00 a.m. Edelman says, “After we decided on the location we decided to hire buses to transport everyone. We really did not want the students driving themselves, and we thought riding on the bus would make the evening feel more like an adventure.”
Senior class president Nicole Blake says why this year’s after prom is such a big deal. “It’s a surprising change but I think it’s good because now more kids will go and they know it won’t be boring,” she says.
Activities at Fun City include bowling, laser maze challenges, mini golf, a climbing wall, a foam factory, and more, so students need to make plans to change out of their prom attire and into more comfortable and appropriate clothes, as well as refrain from bringing any bags or backpacks.
The attitude among seniors is generally grateful and excited. Senior Jackie Lovato says, “I was a little sad when I heard that they were going to break tradition but now I’m excited for it! We’re really lucky as a class to have the opportunity to go elsewhere for after prom.”
This may be a new tradition for TJ and now graduated students may be asking, ‘Why not us?’ Ashley Edelman said, “One of the main reasons this historic event is taking place is because we have such a committed group of senior parents! This parent group has worked really well together making decisions, and has worked very hard raising the money to enable this event to take place,” she explains.
All seniors can attend after prom even if they do not attend prom. Anyone attending must fill out the permission slip in order to go, and students can pick them up from the main office and return them to Jon Poole. “I know that the parents this year really wanted to make it special for the students because they were getting tired of the same old stuff. A lot of this year’s seniors went to last year’s after prom and the parents wanted to make it different for that reason,” explains Poole.
Any student who does not go to TJ and wishes to attend with a TJ student must fill out a separate permission slip, which can also be picked up from the main office. They must be returned by April 13th.
