Argus

Prom King and Queen Crowned for First Time

    Dreams became reality as Midwood crowned its first prom king and queen on the unforgettable night of June 1.
    “Being crowned prom queen feels just as glamorous as it is in the films,” said Prom Queen Janice Tran ‘12. “I feel honored. Prom 2012 will definitely be one of my most cherished and memorable moments of my senior year. High school taught me to expect the unexpected.”    
    Tran is not the only one who learned to expect the unexpected. Prom King Sekou Harris ‘12 still cannot believe that he won. He did not run for prom king just for himself but for others.
    “I ran because I felt that it would be an enriching experience for me and more importantly because I felt that if I could publicize a carefree and vibrant personality at prom, I could encourage others to let loose and let go of their fears on prom night and just focus on having fun,” said Harris.
    The idea of having a prom king and queen belonged to Senior Class President Oumou Fofana ‘12. After the prom committee’s voting, her idea took action. She also took precautions against its possibility of becoming a popularity contest.
    “I think it was a good idea because it was a fun experience for a lot of the candidates to have been nominated,” said Fofana. “Most students thought it was just a popularity contest. I made sure it was not a popularity contest by interviewing people that got nominated so I could narrow down the number of nominees.”
    Fofana is not the only one who believes that Prom King and Queen was successful.
    “I was surprised the idea actually came up because I never thought a school as populated as Midwood would have Prom Queen and King,” said Bella Gelman ‘12. “People voted so I guess they liked it.”
    Though some students supported the event, others had different outlooks.
    “Prom King and Queen is, in my opinion, a practice that has kind of lost its use and glamour,” said Emily Ma-Luongo ‘12. “It’s not a bad idea or a good idea. It’s simply one that no longer holds much power over the event of prom in general, but it’s still a fun activity to keep for the sake of the typically expected high school experience.”
    The road to victory was not always easy. Tran did not initially choose to run for prom queen. When someone nominated her, she just followed through. She did not take it seriously until she received messages and voice mails telling her to drop out of the race because she was unworthy and ugly.
    “That was when I became motivated to win,” she said.
    Having unsupportive peers were not the only downsides of being crowned prom king or queen.
    “The biggest downside was that some of my friends were running against me, and I had to deal with the knowledge that only one of us could win,” said Harris. “Also, I had to convince many people to vote for me over some of those friends. Sometimes I succeeded, sometimes I failed, but it was never enjoyable. No part of me liked the idea of in any way diminishing my friends in the eyes of others, but ultimately, we all remained cool with each other, and no hostilities were borne of this contest, so I’d say it went better than expected.”
    Despite the positives and negatives of winning Prom King or Queen, seniors will always remember one of their last nights together.
    “Everyone looked so beautiful,” said Tran. “I wish I could relive the night.”