The class of 2022 found themselves clipping on bow ties, fastening on cummerbunds, and stretching into their suspenders last Friday as they prepared for their Senior Prom. A night filled with flashing lights from cameras, necessary mosh pits, and awkward moments of stepping on a girl’s dress, it was a rightful return to a tradition that has been absent for the past two years and the envy of the past two graduating classes. One thing is certain: every girl is crazy about a sharply dressed Jr. Bill. 

Senior Prom could be labeled an American staple in society with its popularity in SLUH culture. After two years of having no SLUH senior prom, it’s back. And this time at the Chase Park Plaza on Kingshighway. 

“It seems like it's a little more of a Grand Ballroom feel when you walk in. There's more space in the room, for sure. Not even just the dance floor but we had standing tables set up in the back where people could hang out. There was plenty of room where we could set up a photo booth. And even in the lobby outside of the ballroom there was plenty of room to gather and walk around. So it was there's more space. It's a newer venue and the food was excellent,” said senior class moderator Dan Becvar.

The class of 2022 was the first class to experience prom at the Chase, as SLUH proms used to be held at the Cedars at St. Raymond’s. Although a nice venue, after holding prom there for decades the school felt it was time for an upgrade. 

“And we actually were planning on moving prom to the Chase back in 2020 before Covid hit. So we were trying to get to the Chase for three years basically, so this was the first time we were able to do it,” said Becvar. “We wanted a more updated venue that was a little bit closer to SLUH. We knew the food would be good. And we thought it'd be an exciting new place to bring seniors and their guests.”

This year the prom doors opened at 6:45 p.m. for entry and opened again for students to leave at 11:00 p.m. Prom consisted of dinner and dancing, with breaks for a 360 camera shot.

The night kicked off before the doors opened to the ballroom, when many seniors decided to take pictures with their dates at the nearby Emerson Grand Basin in Forest Park. A staple and popular location to take prom pictures, many seniors bumped into their classmates before the dance began and took group pictures. 

“It was nice seeing driving into the venue with all the cars parked next to me with people I knew, all looking dapper. Walking in it was nice, especially into the ballroom. It looked very unique,” said senior Ted Williams.

After navigating their way through paparazzi parents and traffic on Lindell and Kingshighway, the couples made their way to Chase Park Plaza before the doors closed at 7:15. Many seniors chose to park at the parking garage down the street from the venue, but a select group decided to pay extra for valet parking in style. 

The couples were greeted by the familiar faces of many SLUH faculty members before they took their seats next to their classmates and their dates to be served a three course meal. This scrumptious dinner proved to be a perfect time to talk about college or summer plans or to just catch up with their classmates before they hit the dance floor.

“I thought it was really fun, we got to pick our own tables so I was sitting with my close friends. A couple of them brought girls I had met before, and one of them is going to the school I am going to so it was fun to catch up. I enjoyed dinner, some of the girls didn’t but maybe they were picky,” said senior Colin Bryan.

Seniors Dennis McDaniel and Jacob Lemley took the initiative to usher the rest of their class into the next phase of the night when they showed off their excessive dance moves on the dance floor while their classmates finished up their meals. Soon enough, a sizable group of Jr. Bills began doing what they do best: moshing.

“There’s a certain feeling of closeness that happens when you feel like someone’s going to fall on top of you that makes moshing an aspect of brotherhood,” said senior Luke Pierson. “My date was looking at me like I was crazy when I told her I was going to join the mosh with my friends. We were just jumping around, looking goofy and not caring about a thing.”

Although prom experienced many firsts, there was a sense of familiarity there, and that sense came from the DJ’s. TKO had DJ’d most other SLUH dances this year, and once again made an appearance at SLUH prom.

“Overall I thought it was good, a lot of songs from the mid 2000’s, and around 11 p.m. I could actually get some requests in. So basically given the aux of prom I of course had to play some of Kanye’s finest, “All Falls Down,” which was the  last song I danced to and was a good way to cap off my formal high school dance career,” said Williams.

Song after song, the seniors joined with their brothers to dance like they never got the chance. While their dates watched to their enjoyment from an outer circle, the seniors began to lift up several of their classmates to allow them to crowd surf. Matthew Leight was one such senior. 

“It was your typical, traditional SLUH dance. A lot of mosh pitting, but really fun. Matthew Leight was in the middle, he was killing it. We had Peter Merriman Irish Dance too. Everyone was there together having fun. It was a great time,” said Bryan.

“Senior Prom was a lot of fun for me. Besides some of the mixers and Freshman Dance, it was my first one in a while, and it was a blast to get on the dance floor and have fun with the guys. The highlight of the night for me was definitely getting crowd surfed. Matt Vanous basically pointed at me, then the air, smiled, and up I went,” said Leight.

To many of the guests' surprise, the 11 o’clock dismissal time came sooner than expected when they began to see their friends exit the ballroom. After spending 4 hours eating, dancing, and drinking, their night was finished in an instant. And senior prom, an American staple, was over.

“I think it went really well, just the environment we were all in, and in the context of all our SLUH careers, after our AP exams and classes. Everything we’ve done at SLUH has led to this one final moshing, and what is SLUH if not moshing at a dance,” said senior Luke Brown.