By Lilly Zaks

Online Editor

       High School Prom: the hallmark of the quintessential American high school experience. Displayed on the big screens from High School Musical to The Kissing Booth, prom is a rite of passage toward the end of the school year, with upperclassmen and their guests dancing the night away. This year, five proms in the Winston-Salem area fall on the same night: West Forsyth, Reagan, Walkertown, John F. Kennedy, and R.J. Reynolds High School.

    These dances are held in different locations throughout Winston-Salem, proving a logistical challenge to book event spaces. 

    West Forsyth’s dance is at the Millennium Event Center, Reagan’s is at Truist Stadium, previously called the Dash Stadium, Walkertown’s is at The Warehouse on Ivy, and Kennedy’s is at Kennedy’s campus.

    In recent years, the RJR prom has been held at the Dash Stadium on the club level and in the concourse. Some complications sparked a conversation about changing the event space.    

    “We were having some issues with the Dash,” Victoria Schmoyer, Prom Committee advisor and RJR French teacher, said. “We did not like that. They stopped letting us use the top level, and we had to be only outdoors. They also didn’t think we needed to get a dance floor, which everybody loved.” 

    With the decision to change the venue, the committee began looking at options. For the first time, RJR is hosting its prom at a new venue that hasn’t been used before.  

    “We did spend some time trying to brainstorm possibilities, but the issue is that we normally have over 500 students attend prom, plus staff,” Schmoyer said. “There’s not that many facilities that can accommodate that many people. We were brainstorming one day, and I should give my husband credit because it was his idea. He tossed out Kaleideum, which we were like that would be cool.” 

    Kaleideum, an innovative museum for children, is located on Third Street in downtown Winston-Salem, serving as an event venue with a rooftop terrace overlooking downtown. 

    “We mentioned it to Mr. [Calvin] Freeman, and he knows there’s a lot of parents here who are affiliated with Kaleideum,” Schmoyer said. “We reached out, and they were completely interested in that possibility.” 

    With the venues booked and the pieces falling into place, students and administrators quickly realized that their friends at other schools also had prom on April 5th. 

    “We’ve never talked to the other schools in the past about dates because it just kind of worked out,” Schmoyer said. 

    For the past few years, most schools have used Truist Stadium (the Dash) as their primary choice for this event, leading to schools selecting differing dates. Now, with new locations as options, it is harder for schools to coordinate. 

    “West Forsyth has had their prom at Millennium Center forever,” Schmoyer said. “With us using the Dash and Reagan using the Dash, those would never conflict because the date was decided for us.” 

    Some students are concerned about these proms being held on the same night, having friends and significant others who attend one of the four other schools. 

    “I do think there is an overlap between West and Reagan, and a lot of [Reynolds] students do usually go to those proms as well,” Schmoyer said.

    This limits people’s ability to attend another school’s prom in addition to RJR. However, there may be a compromise. 

    “We’ve been jokingly saying there will be a lot of prom hopping going on since all three venues are downtown,” Schmoyer said. “I think that it would be a little difficult to go to multiple proms, but I think, at the same time, it would be fun. For example, if Reagan’s doing fireworks, that would be a good time to be at Reagan.” 

    RJR prom, Once Upon the Pines, is from 7 PM to 11 PM at Kaleideum and promises to be a night to remember. Whether you’re attending the RJR prom or another, April 5th is sure to be a fun night. Who knows, maybe you will “prom-hop” your way around.