By Taylor Bush

Special to The Post-Searchlight

Junior-Senior Prom is a timeless tradition that most high school graduates remember fondly. It is considered a rite of passage for seniors to enjoy one last dance in their high school gym before graduating. On April 11, 2015, Bainbridge High School seniors joined those in the community who can reminisce about their last high school dance.

Saturday, April 11 was a day full of making memories at BHS. The Junior-Senior Prom, which was themed A Masquerade Ball, was in full swing. At the end of the night, Promenade and the dance proved to be a wonderful success. Much preparation went in to planning the affair.

Beginning in January, the decorations for the gymnasium were already being built. BHS Welding and Construction classes built the chandelier hanging from the gym ceiling, metal columns, promenade archway, and dance floor. The students in these classes helped transform the room from a high school gym to a beautiful ballroom. The week of the dance, students in Food Nutrition and Wellness classes prepared the food served on Saturday night. The chocolate covered treats disappeared by the time the dance ended.

To keep students safe at the dance, five resource officers were patrolling the area. These officers checked tickets of all students entering the gym and were equipped with breathalyzers to ensure the students were on their best behavior. However, no student gave the officers any reason to use the breathalyzers. The students acted with remarkable etiquette.

A record number of BHS seniors walked down the red carpet at Promenade this year. 180 couples stepped into the spotlight as their names were called beginning at 7:00 PM. Due to a shorter walk and different set up, the Promenade ended at the scheduled time which was 8:00 PM.

As for the dance, a record number of tickets were sold once again! 393 tickets were bought by Juniors and Seniors for the Masquerade Ball. With these tickets, students were given a male and female mask for the dance which began at 8:30 PM. Many students enjoyed the surprise of the masks and took advantage of the gifts by wearing them. The DJ-Matt Crews with Partytime Productions from Valdosta- kept the students dancing until it was time to leave at 11:00 PM.

This year’s Prom King and Queen were announced at the dance around 10:00. Dalin Mack was crowned Prom King, and his date Alexandria (Allie) Carter was crowned Queen. “I was really shocked when my name was read. It really was an honor that my senior class chose me as Queen,” says Carter, “I am still really excited about it.” Congratulations, Dalin and Allie!

Many people deserve thanks for planning such an awesome night for the students. Gina Burke, Sheila McClendon, Golden Guides, CTAE classes, BHS faculty and parent volunteers put in hard work to make the prom the success that it was. McClendon who is the Prom Coordinator was happy to report, “Through teamwork, we provided a night of good memories that our Juniors and Seniors will always remember.” There is no doubt that students will remember the Masquerade Ball in all of its glory.