Written By: Jaidyn Gayman, Staff Writer
EXCITING: Poly’s student body takes on the role of royalty!
For many seniors, Prom is an exciting event that symbolizes the end of their high school career. Not only is this a thrilling time for the upperclassmen, but is as well for the prom nominees. Many presented possible candidates for the student body to vote for – for king and queen, but only five men and women were chosen. The lucky seniors that had the honor for this year’s prom were, Nathan Riedell, Gerald Vaughn, Christian Cuellar, Dalton Adcock, Jackie Mercado, Phoebe Galuszka, Rosana Rodriguez, Twila Fraser-Hewlett, and myself, Jaidyn Gayman. Christian Cuellar elaborates on his feelings about being nominated, and states, “I was very honored and super surprised. I was the nominee through Link Crew, and that club is extremely populated so I didn’t expect me of all people to be the nominee for it.” This feeling of surprise was shared with many other nominees.
When the finalists were announced, they were given a list of a couple of jobs to fulfill. First, they were invited to be a part of ASB’s assembly for Prom on March 6th, then participate in the “Rhyme without Reason,” spirit day on March 29th. These small events heavily amped up the whole experience, giving each nominee a chance to be in the spotlight. In addition to that, the finalists were also tasked with making their ballot boxes. There were no set rules other than it has to be the size of an average shoe box, so this let each candidate run free with displaying their personalities in their design. Rodriguez shares her opinion and states, “I did have fun making my box even though I think I spent a little more time on it than I should have. And just themed it to be things that I like and would reflect my personality. So it was pink, very sparkly, and girly.” While designing a box came with ease for some finalists, a couple of others found this to be a challenge. Phoebe Galuszka states, “I was kind of stressed about my box. I’m not super artsy so it was difficult to be creative.”
When the night finally came, all the finalists had shown up in style with nothing but good spirits in mind! The boxes were displayed and the voting from the student body began. Later into the night, it was time to announce the official Prom King and Queen. All the candidates were called up to the front of the stage and faced all the Prom attendees. Then the news was finally announced, and Gerald Vaughn was congratulated as Prom King and Rosana Rodriguez was crowned the official Prom Queen. Rodriguez explains: “winning was definitely a shock and I did not expect it at all. But I was excited. Overall the experience was fun and I was really happy to be a part of it since it made Prom a little more enjoyable and extra special.”
Being a part of an exciting time and a monumental event was a wonderful experience for all the nominees, even if we all didn’t get to walk away as “royalty”. Phoebe Galuszka shares her opinion on the prom night and says that “the experience was super fun. I love being involved with anything Poly!” Cuellar also states, “Prom was an amazing night! The venue, the music, and the people were all on point. I had a blast being a nominee standing in front of the crowd with my fellow classmates. It was a night to remember even if I didn’t win King.” The experience for these candidates made the whole dance a definite night to remember, making a lifelong mark on their final journey at Poly High School.
Picture credit: Rea Metzger