When the last dance is over at this year’s prom, the fun is just getting started.

From the end of prom until 6:00 a.m., all senior boarders and day students who choose to participate will spend the night locked in the gym. It’s one of the final opportunities for the class of 2017 to be together.

Prior to the beginning the annual Lock-In tradition, seniors had to go directly home or back to their dorms after prom. The next morning they would get up at 8:00 a.m., get on a bus for a day of “mandatory fun,” and then head back for sports. This changed when the class of 2007 went to Mr. Koritkoski and proposed something new.

The prom committee, which also organizes the Lock-In, fills the gym with food like pizza, mozzarella sticks, soda, and candy, and packs the night with exciting events; this year there will be Knockerball, bowling, Nerf guns, video games and movies in the squash courts, music, inflatables in the pool, and bouncy houses.

Despite the name of the event, Koritkoski said the Lock-In is anything but restrictive.

“There is no schedule so you can make it whatever you want it to be,” he explained. “The student population has a lot of power in the failure or success of the Lock-In.”

Despite all the entertainment, there is a widely held belief among students that strict supervision prevents the participants from having fun. Koritkoski said that’s not the case. “Teachers trust seniors to not make bad choices, especially on such a special night, and only want them to participate in what is planned,” he said.

Senior Class President Natalie Aquadro echoed Mr. Koritkoski, and said that at the end of a busy year, the Lock-In is a great chance for the senior class to bond one last time.

“A lot of work goes into making it exciting and you get to spend time with the whole class, not just your friends,” she said. “Everyone ends up having a great time.”