High school is a time where students go through puberty, experience the late teenage years as a young adult and gain friendships. Friendships come and go through high school, along with relationships. Throughout high school, these students may spend more time hanging out outside of school rather than in the actual learning environment. This all starts with late night high school parties. 

As the years go on though, they age and have more responsibilities and freedom. In middle school, during a kid’s last year as an eighth grader they get the opportunity to bring a date to a dance and have a great time with a special someone and friends. But when that kid enters high school, he/she will get the opportunity for a prom Junior and Senior year. Everyone knows that in high school, that special day is for people to dress up in tuxedos, prom dresses and suits and get ready for a party night hosted by the school. But then COVID-19 struck and everything was a disaster. 

Athens Drive High School fully cancelled all prom ideas for the 2020 graduates and moved everything a year back. A year later and COVID is still a thing. However, this year students teamed up with Wake County and the principal Steven Mares, and fulfilled an idea to have a “Promenade.” This big event will deviate from traditional proms for an interesting event that accommodates for COVID restrictions, which will make the traditional proms look boring and useless. 

During the promenade seniors will have a big get-together in order to take pictures, get food and drinks, drive around the football field and get the students name called in the stadium. The promenade will not have dress codes, unlike usual proms, to create a more relaxed and accommodating environment. 

“Traditional proms are getting old and out of date. We need something like the promenade to bring students like us together and take photos with random outfits. We don’t even have to pay for dinner at a restaurant before this because the school provides food and we don’t have to pay for a suit, dress or tuxedo,” said Brandon Thomas, senior. 

All students are now going to be canceling all their night plans for May 14, 2021, to hang out with their friends and enjoy the great “promenade” outside free of charge.