Senior year is the time of the high school career when the typical senior events come along like college decision making, prom, and at Williston, the after prom lock-in. A few weeks ago every student in the Class of 2014 completed a survey about whether or not they wanted the lock in to be held this year.

Now the decision is made: there will be no lock-in occurring this year.

Mr. Koritkoski, Assistant Dean of Students, said, “I want to say about two thirds of the senior class participated in that [the survey]. 60% boarding and 40% day was the breakdown. On the question should we have a lock in or not it was pretty overwhelming that we should not. So we went with that.”

Sydney Belinskas, a senior boarding student, stated, “I’ve waited four years to get a prom. But most importantly to get a lock-in after prom. They can’t just take that away from us. I want it, and so do many others.”

After the survey results, the staff and prom committee had to come up with a new plan to benefit the students. The prom committee has decided to hold a slide show after prom in Reed then have food available, including ice cream sundaes. This event is planned to last until about 12:30 am, at which time the day students will have to leave campus.

Mr. Koritkoski said, “We came up with the idea of having a fun and special shorter event right after we come back.”

Another issue that was discussed is the state law that says that people under the age of eighteen cannot drive past midnight. As a result, the committee’s proposal is that any day students under the age of eighteen must get picked up at 12:30 am by an adult because they are not legally allowed to drive home themselves.

Eighteen-year-olds will be all set, but seventeen-year-olds will have to get picked up by their parents late at night. No day students will be allowed to hang out together after leaving Williston campus that late at night.

Students continue to raise questions about the decision. Just last week in Mrs. Noble’s advisory other questions were brought up. “Can we at least have sleepovers after? Some day students are under eighteen and won’t have a ride home,” Senior Maggie Fitzgerald said. Kathy Noble, Dean of Students, replied, “No sleepovers are allowed.”

Traditionally, the lock-in was a way for senior students to gather after prom and have the night last for hours after. In previous years the gym was filled with many blow up games and other activities. Laura Aptowitz, graduate of the Class of 2013, said, “It was fun to not sleep that night and to bond with the class.”

Some think it must be a waste of time staying here until 6 am then having to leave and be back within a few hours. Senior day student Bailey Gawron said, “I know a lot of people like the lock-in. But honestly is it really that fun staying up all night, leaving early, then coming back for a brunch exhausted the next day? I don’t think so. So I don’t have much of a problem with the decision.”

About the ice cream party and slideshow, Kaylee Largay, a member of the committee, said, “This will most likely benefit both the students who want one [a lock in], and who do not want one.”

Traditions are traditions. Whether the committee should even change something like this is the real question that some students are debating. Regardless of the after prom event, the prom committee claims this year’s prom is going to be “a huge success.”