The “Enchanted Night” themed Prom will be Friday, May 4, at New Town Events Center this year instead of its usual Saturday date. The other option would have been May 5, Cinco de Mayo. Cinco de Mayo usually leads to intoxicated drivers on the road, so Junior Delegates chose May 4 in an effort to keep students safe. This, and the lower cost of Prom on Friday, led to the change.

“Based upon the day and connotation of Cinco de Mayo, we can’t knowingly put you guys in extra risk on a day like that,” Marissa Heyer, family and consumer sciences teacher and junior class sponsor, said. “So, we had to think of safety first.”

The event space for Prom is usually booked a year in advance, so changing the date of Prom to a Saturday was not an option, because the process would start over with no guarantee of an event space. Heyer, with consultation from the FHN administration, had a list of dates and locations she could choose from. One of the reasons to have Prom on a Friday was to keep the cost reasonable for students. They also reduce costs by having Prom in the tent instead of the convention center and by having appetizers instead of a full dinner.

“[The decision] came about based upon discussions we’ve had with different venues, the options that were available and also with the administration,” Heyer said.

Heyer and Junior Class President Juan Alega say that, despite the date change, Prom will still be just as fun as last year.

“To everyone that is deciding whether or not to go to Prom just because it is at the tent, or just because it’s on a Friday, I extremely encourage everyone to still attend Prom, even if they have those issues,” Alega said. “It will still be a fun time.”