March 31, 2026: An earlier version of this story mislabeled two photos by combining their captions. The captions have been attached to correct photos.

The low hum of jazz and New Orleans-themed music permeated the lobby of the Kravis Center as students stepped out of black and white limos, heels clacking against the pavement and dresses shimmering in varying shades of blue, gold, and green. Inside the Cohen Pavilion on Saturday, March 28, students mingled for the first 45 minutes during mocktail hour, sipping on themed drinks from the bar and waiting outside of the closed ballroom doors.

At 7:45 p.m., the doors flung open, revealing a walkway surrounded by luminescent white trees and accompanied by members of the junior class council — who were responsible for planning the event — cheering on and welcoming the upperclassmen and their prom dates as they strutted in.

A roar erupted from the crowd as they feasted their eyes on the transformed Gimelstob Ballroom with mini chandeliers shining overhead, moss and magnolia centerpieces on each of the tables, and a designated area to take photos with a sparkling silver backdrop. 

This year’s prom, themed “Night on the Bayou,” was the culmination of almost a year’s worth of planning on behalf of the junior class council who was tasked with balancing the budget, logistics, decorations, and creative vision to design an immersive bayou for the 627 attendees, primarily juniors and seniors.

“While prom is for both juniors and seniors, it’s really the seniors’ big night,” junior class council treasurer and theatre junior Janiya Carries said. “We put in all the work so they can relax and enjoy one of their last big Dreyfoos events before they graduate in May.”

After the junior class council developed and presented three main theme ideas to the senior class council, the seniors ultimately made the final decision.

“They were very particular with the theme,” junior class council advisor and English teacher Lisa Shields said. “It was never going to be ‘Princess and the Frog.’ It was a spin-off of that for a ‘Night on the Bayou.’ It wasn’t New Orleans, it wasn’t Mardi Gras. It was earthy, natural, dark colors, and swampy.”

The council was tasked with planning every portion of the prom, from aspects as big as the food and the music to aspects that may seem trivial, including the drinks provided and the party favor gifts —  custom tote bags. All decisions were made through collaboration by all of the council’s members, including co-president and visual arts junior Mia Rubio.

“We always put it to a vote and made sure everyone was on board with every idea,” Rubio said. “The playlist, the decorations, the centerpiece, everything was a vote.”

While Ms. Shields often took the backseat when it came to planning the prom, she helped ensure the vision of the junior class council was realistic to accomplish with the budget provided to them through ticket sales.

“This isn’t my prom, I already had my prom,” Ms. Shields said. “But I have a lot of knowledge from teaching for 30 years and managing money a lot longer than they have. It’s important for them to understand that everything costs money. Even a microphone costs money.”

To balance affordability with creativity, the council had to make trade offs, including nixing their original idea to hang drapes from the ceiling, which would have cost close to $40,000 according to Ms. Shields. Ticket prices also had to be decided, with Carries basing her decision primarily on last year’s prices.

“We didn’t want to make them unreasonably more expensive than last year,” Carries said. “We tried to have the best of both worlds, keeping it fair for students, but still making a profit so the senior class council next year has enough money next year for all of their activities.”

In the final hours before the prom, Kravis Center staff and junior class council members adjusted lighting and centerpieces, working right until the ballroom doors opened. Plans were finalized and decorations were purchased, days, weeks, and even months before.

“If you want to plan a party or an event, the key is doing it ahead of time,” Ms. Shields said. “You have to be proactive. Doing things at the last minute was just not an option for an event of this magnitude.”

Even though raising money for the rising senior class is the primary purpose of the annual prom, junior class council members tried to measure the success of the event by the reaction and pleasure of the student body.

“I just wanted them to have a fun time,” Carries said. “I wanted them to like the theme, the music, the food, and the experience overall. We spent so long planning this, but it was all for them.”

The night was full of students chowing down on pizza, chicken tenders, and desserts such as beignets. Dancing and singing to modern and classic pop songs and snapping pictures in the ballroom and the lobby also defined the night. But the crowning moment was when theatre seniors Colton McMackin and Dior Knight were announced as prom royalty.

“I am so stunned and so grateful to be crowned prom royalty of my senior class,” Knight said. “Prom was just so incredible this year. I couldn’t have asked for a better prom or a better group of students to spend prom with or a better school to spend my senior year of high school at.”

After the royalty was announced at 10:00 p.m., students began to file out and received custom made tote bags from junior class council members, some ready to hit the hay and get home, others revved up for the various afterparties that ran into the early morning of March 29. After doors were shut at 11:00 p.m., Kravis Center staff, junior class council members, and administrators began to clean up the lobby and the ballroom. Prom in the bayou had come to an end.