We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
The word "prom" often brings to mind elegance, celebration, and the exchange of corsages and boutonnieres. In the context of high school, prom is about getting all glammed up, taking photos, dancing, and making memories while surrounded by friends and classmates. On Saturday, March 28, the annual prom took place at Chinook High School's Floyd Bowen Gymnasium with Grand March beginning at 7:30 p.m.
In Chinook, the prom is traditionally hosted by the juniors, and this year's Class of 2027 selected Golden Hour as the event's theme. Working under the direction of Decorating Committee Co-Chairs Kamry Gustitis and Amyerah Kelly, the class used gold with accents of white to bring that theme to life. Decorating began at 10:00 on Friday morning with finishing touches getting completed around 4:30 that evening.
"We were on a tight budget, so we dug through the buckets of left-over decorations from previous years for a big portion of our decorations," reported Gustitis.
"And our refreshments consisted of only pop and water due to our dinner plan falling through," added Kelly.
Following the Grand March, which was attended by several parents and others members of the public, the youth in attendance danced to tunes played by Principal Brian Rayburn, who served as the night's DJ.
Perhaps one of the biggest traditions at this iconic high school dance is the crowning of the Prom King and Queen. Voted by their peers, who often base their selection on the candidate's friendliness, school spirit, or leadership rather than simply on popularity, nine males and nine females made the ballot. King candidates were Cooper Standiford, Evan Davies, Rangler Skoyen, Kenneth Gruszie, Carter Alisch, Walter Schoen, Lane Ward, and Julian Powell. For Queen, voters could select from Amyerah Kelly, Lori Mord, Sidney Liddle, Lotus Taly, Kealey Logan, Kamry Gustitis, Montana Drugge, and Mataya Inman.
Once the votes had been cast and the ballots counted, Kamry Gustitis and Lane Ward emerged as winners. After the donning of sashes and the crowning of the Prom Queen and Prom King, the royal couple shared a dance.
In an effort to keep students on site and safe throughout the night, Town Pump donated two $50 gift cards. Although the Junior Class originally planned to present those prizes to one boy and one girl who stayed the entire dance period and exhibited a positive attitude, they instead gave the award to the last two couples. Winners of those gift cards were Dane Frey-Haluszka and Addilyn Zellmer and Zoe Scofield and Wyatt Matteson.
According to Kelly, the entire class contributed to helping set up and take down decorations for this year's prom.
