As the school year continues to wane, so does idle time. In addition to its regularly-scheduled school mayhem, the Class of 2016 now finds itself immersed within a sudden barrage of senior responsibilities – of which volunteer hours, AP test preparation, scholarship applications, placement tests, college enrollment requirements and a veritable hailstorm of forms, surveys and contracts are but a few. With these necessary tasks, however, comes the promise of more appealing events and privileges; art booths, graduation, superlatives, graduation, picnics and graduation all come to mind. Yet my class’s minds are not consumed by dreams of being crowned “outstanding CVCC student” or determining what beverage is the ideal picnic fare. (On one hand, there is Pepsi. On the other, literally anything else that is suitable for human consumption . . . but I digress.) Instead, the interests of seniors and underclassmen alike have zeroed in on one gossip-worthy event in particular, an ages-old rite of passage and par-tay: Prom.

The venue. The groups. Who’s wearing what, and who needs to go find another dress as a result. From pictures and transportation to accessorizing and color-coordinating, the amount of planning and effort that many put into getting ready for Prom is astronomical. According to data cited by Statista, an online statistics portal, 2015’s US partygoer households spent a budget-busting $919 on average in preparation for the big night. Teens’ primary focus, however, seems to be on the one aspect of Prom in which money is (usually) of little help – finding a date. Spring rolls around, and witty pick-up strategies and elaborate promposals swiftly outnumber the showers, flurries and flowers that characterize the season. Pop-culture magazines go haywire in their attempts to cover all things cheesy and relationship-goals-y (which even I cannot resist reading). I am fairly certain that underground date-brackets and watchdogs lurk throughout the school, biding their time until needed; how else does everyone know who everyone else is going with before any of the asking actually happens? With all the commotion surrounding prom couples, one who finds himself or herself in a dateless situation may consider skipping the event altogether.

To that person, I ask: why?

I understand that Proms, dances, or even social situations in general are not everyone’s cup of punch; I myself can find solace amidst the pages of books, the company of close friends and the occasional, half-crazed Netflix marathon. For those who, like myself, can also look forward to and enjoy an event such as Prom, however, I see no reason to avoid it simply because one does not have a date. Thanks to good old social progress, they are no longer required, so why do we treat them as such? Unless one is in an established relationship before Prom, such dates will most likely be among friends, acquaintances or people who do not even know one another prior to the dance. That is absolutely fine (I know from experience); however, it is these situations which have the greatest potential to seem semi-obligatory – having a date for the sake of, well, having a date, no matter how well you get along with the person in question – creating an environment of mood-crippling awkwardness. If one is willing to face such possibilities for the sake of attending, then what would be so terrible about going solo and avoiding them?

As with all dances, Prom is about letting go a little and having fun with those closest to us, whether it is a significant other, a posse of friends or a combination of the two. More specifically, Prom represents one of the last times in which a class has a chance to be together before graduation and that decades-off reunion that everyone only attends to compare jobs and determine who still has real hair. Though I think we can all agree that our time at RHS has no similarity to anything featured in High School Musical (less choreography, more chaos), we have all been stuck – er, placed – in the same environment for the past who-knows-how-many years, and that kind of shared experience tends to bind people together in a “hey, look, we survived,” sort of way. What better way to part ways than with strobe lights, terrible non-dancing and 3 am bowling?

In my mind, Prom is for the experience, the enjoyment and the memories, not just the corsage and the matching tie-dress combination. So if you have a date, great. If you do not have a date, great. Either way, I hope you had a great time, strange moves and all.