Rayen, Wilson students await final proms

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Efforts are being made to make the Rayen and Wilson proms the best ever.

By HAROLD GWIN

VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — Seniors at Woodrow Wilson High School say there are a lot of junior students trying to get a senior date for the prom this year.

It's the senior prom and only seniors can buy tickets to attend.

"We've got a lot of juniors wanting to go as it's the last prom," said Evangelina Figueroa, senior class president, noting that the underclassmen are hustling for dates.

"Some of them will get in somehow," said LeVar Riley, senior class vice president.

Wilson and Rayen high schools are closing with the end of this school year. Both will be razed to make way for new middle schools.

"I think it's kind of special because its the last prom. We were lucky," Figueroa said.

Rayen juniors aren't faced with the same dilemma as their peers at Wilson.

Both juniors and seniors are allowed to attend that prom, said Jasmine Stamper, senior class vice president at Rayen.

"It is a big deal," said Jaquala Riggins, this year's co-salutatorian at Rayen, pointing out that students realize this will be Rayen's last prom. "People are expecting something big."

"We're trying to make it the best one ever," added teacher Jerron Jenkins, a senior class adviser at Rayen.

Rayen also has Junior Ushers for the prom who dress up in tuxedoes in the senior class colors, said teacher and senior class adviser Traci Tiggs.

Members of the junior class at both schools do help with the decorating.

High attendance expected

Class advisers at both schools say nearly all of their senior classes will be attending.

No adults are allowed to visit the proms, so photographs have to be taken in advance.

At Rayen, the prom-goers will participate in the annual "Walk-In," gathering first at Hayes Middle School at 3 p.m. and then driving to Rayen for the 4:30 p.m. walk. They'll line up in the gymnasium and then walk in the stadium, if the weather is good. If it rains, they'll walk in the gym.

"It's the last time at Wilson," said Shaniqua Donlow, a member of the Senior Advisory Board and chairman of that prom's decorating committee.

"We tried to make sure everything was nice. We wanted to go out with a bang," she said, adding that "a whole lot" of planning went into the process.

Wilson's prom has a heavenly theme and the decorations are designed appropriately.

"We've got clouds, angel wings, harps — everything," Donlow said.

The decorating committee meets every Tuesday to make sure all plans are progressing appropriately.

"They're going well," Donlow said.

Rayen's prom has a "sky is the limit" theme tied to the fact that the school is closing permanently and suggesting this is Rayen's last chance "to touch the heavens."

Like Rayen, Wilson also has a "Walk-In," a time for prom-goers to be photographed and show what they're wearing.

Wilson's walk is set for 5 p.m. at South Field House.

Organizing the dance

The Senior Advisory Boards at both schools are charged with handling the proms.

Members of the senior classes come up with suggestions for everything from the prom theme to the class flower, and the advisory boards organize them on ballots so the entire senior class gets to vote on them.

The prom is an evening affair at both schools. There is no after-prom party at either.

However, it is common practice for prom-goers to go somewhere as a group the day after prom, often to a theme park, said Kenneth Andrews, Wilson teacher and senior class adviser.

Tickets for the Wilson prom this year are $30 for singles and $50 per couple.

Rayen tickets are $35 per person.

Andrews said boys traditionally wear suits and girls wear dresses, and there's a lot of searching in magazines and on the Internet for the latest fashions as they plan out their wardrobes.

gwin@vindy.com

Tuesday, May 1, 2007