In past years at SHS, the prom court has been decided by students of all grades voting for their favored candidate. But Dawn Fowerbaugh, who is one of the sponsors of planning prom, thought this was not the most effective way to make the decision. 

This year, only the fellow seniors were able to nominate the seniors on the court, but juniors and seniors will be able to vote. 

“I feel that when seniors vote, they are more thoughtful in who gets on the court versus just a popularity contest,” Fowerbaugh wrote in an email to the Journal.

The prom court provides an opportunity to showcase the diversity of SHS. The changed election method allowed for this to happen. Senior Eugene Airhiagbonkpa, who is on the prom court, believes that with the rising diversity of students, the prom court should match. 

“I think it will be really interesting to have someone who doesn’t usually look like they would win prom court to finally have it, especially at our school,” Airhiagbonkpa said.

Senior Ammy Nem, also a part of the prom court, said that having someone to represent certain groups can make them feel seen and can promote more participation among students. 

Nem’s main motivation for wanting to be on prom court was to make a change and make other people feel like they can step out of their comfort zone and be confident in representing people like them.  

“A lot of people feel neglected because they don’t have someone to represent their group,” Nem said. “When you have different groups, people are more active.”

Fowerbaugh says that her goal for prom is for all upperclassmen to be able to attend and for everyone to have fun and have new experiences.

“It makes me extremely excited and proud that we can showcase how diversity shapes our school community,” Fowerbaugh said.