Prom is an event that high school students look forward for their entire educational career. One thing that students focus about for the big night is the theme. For Central’s 2019 prom, which will take place on April 27, the theme is red carpet. Decorations will be elegant and the night will be filled with Hollywood glam, with the color scheme being red, gold, and black.

“Red carpet theme has been the number one requested thing for years. This was the year I though we should pull the trigger on it and just do it,” explained Forensics, Biology, and Anatomy Teacher Tina Cotreau, who is also in charge of prom.

Cotreau, along with the junior and senior class officers and prom committee members, is planning every element of the night. Each minuscule detail is considered during and following the prom meetings held after school. Even though many decorations are bought, a lot are crafted by Cotreau due to the tight budget.

This year, prom will be held at The Mill in Downtown, Chattanooga, from 7:00 pm until 11:00 pm. The Mill includes free parking and will cater the event. The Junior Advisory teachers will be at the event, some coming early to help decorate, some not.

One of the biggest concerns Central students have is about the music playing during prom. Out of the complaints from last year’s prom, many were about the music. The Mill will have a DJ there for the music.

“The DJ will be the guy who DJs for Six Flags. He’s a cool kid. We were saying something about putting a box up front and if you have a suggestion you can put it in there,” Cotreau described, trying to find a solution to please everyone.

Tickets can be purchased from Cotreau every Friday during advisory leading up to the event. Each month, tickets for prom will increase in price. In February, tickets are $40, in March, they are $50, and in April, they are $60. The junior and senior students of the week will be placed in a raffle with a chance to win a free prom ticket.

One huge part of the night is declaring prom king and queen. When the students arrive to prom, they vote for one senior boy and one senior girl to hold the elusive title. The staff will then count up the votes and declare the winners.

The prom queen from 2018, McKinleah Johnson, was delighted after winning. She was proud of the title, and it was a highlight of her night.

“It was unexpected and the people who were runner-ups were really good choices, so I did not think I was going to win. I felt happy and loved just because people voted for me. It was exciting,” Johnson exclaimed.

There will always be critiques of everything people plan, including prom. Red carpet night was highly requested, but some wanted to see something different.

“I think prom is already like a red carpet theme. Everyone is already dressed up like celebrities,” pointed out. Junior Nevaeh Foster.

Other students, such as Brandon Henderson and Grant Scott, thought it was either basic or overdone. However, the opinions on this year’s theme is overall quite positive.

“I think that this year’s theme is great. It is what most of us seniors wanted last year,” expressed Senior Caitlin Leamon.

Despite the stress and critiques of prom, it is meant to be a fun, memorable night for everyone. This year, with the thought of students strutting down the red carpet, feelings of high excitement and anticipation are traveling through the halls of Central High.