Prom is an extravagant event at most high schools, held annually toward the end of May. Both juniors and seniors are invited to attend the event, which takes place at the Estherwood Mansion on campus.

Many students attest to the fact that prom at Masters is not as big of a deal as prom at many other schools. The majority of schools—Hackley and Rye Country Day included—host prom at off campus locations, such as hotels or country clubs. Given that Estherwood is located on the school’s campus, the school believes it is both logical and feasible to host prom there.

Yet, many students lament this, saying that the familiarity of location makes the event much less exciting. Senior Emma Cunningham said, “Estherwood, to me at least, isn’t very special. Winter Formal is held there, as are many classes, which makes the space even more known to the majority of students. The space itself isn’t that great because it’s all little rooms as opposed to one big room. A lot of other proms have sit down meals and are at extravagant locations, which makes the event a lot more special and a lot more memorable.

While Winter Formal is free of charge, prom tickets cost $50. “Winter Formal is an open event, meaning all students are invited, whereas prom is a closed event,” said Gillian Crane, Associate Head of the Upper School. “An open event is allowed to use school funds, but a closed event is not, which is why we must charge students.”

The desire to host prom off campus is not a new one. Crane said that students come to her every year asking if prom can be hosted off campus. “While it would be cool if it were not here, it would become like every other school’s prom, where you spend an exorbitant amount of money to take limos and go all out on an evening, when, in reality, it’s about being together and celebrating time together at the end of the year,” she said.

If prom were held off campus, ticket rates would at least double. Given that a significant percentage of the student population is on some sort of financial aid, a surge in ticket prices would be vexing to many. As a result, not as many people would be able to attend the prom.

Many other schools that hold prom off campus do some sort of fundraising to help cover the cost. However, the mission of the school only endorses fundraising related to charitable purposes.

Much conversation has centered around where the money from ticket sales actually goes. “Food is between $3,000 and $4,000. Aside from that we spend money on the DJ, special decorations, table cloths, silverware, balloons, free giveaways and photographers” Crane said.

The prom budget is $11,786, with nearly $5,000 coming from senior and junior class donations. The rest of the budget comes from ticket sales.