This year’s prom was a lot different compared to SES proms in the past. Southeast Prom has been held in many locations such as: The Masonic Temple, Marymount, Gypsum Auditorium, and Southeast of Saline. This year was even farther than previous locations. This year’s prom was held at The Kanas Beach Hospitality and Events, also known as “The Beach.”

The Beach is located near the Rolling Hills Zoo, around 20 miles west of Salina, right outside of Brookeville. Students and everyone attending the promenade had to drive on dirt roads for three to four miles before arriving at the destination. This caused hesitation in the heads of many students and parents. Parents did not feel comfortable having their children drive late at night on dirt roads, and kids had to make other arrangements for what vehicle they took to the dance.

The promenade was not as extravagant as it has been in the past. Last year, students walked up the big staircase leading up to the Masonic Temple, stopped halfway to get their picture taken, and then finished the hike up the stairs to go inside the building. This year, students walked a short distance, stopped to get their pictures taken, and then headed into the barn. “It was a lot different than last year because it wasn’t as grand of an entrance,” a senior said. 

The venue itself was very beautiful. Inside the barn, there were tables for students to sit at, a snack and drink bar, and a festive photo booth where both students and chaperones enjoyed getting their pictures taken. There were even fun props to go along with the photo booth. There were also signs on the way to the venue telling students “almost there” and “just a little farther.”

To top off the venue, everyone was dressed to perfection. There was a vast variety of suits and dresses, but a very popular color this year was royal blue, with at least ten girls rocking royal blue. Variations of purple were another popular choice, with each girl rocking those colors as well. A big fear for most girls is buying the same dress as another girl, but luckily there were no duplicate dresses this year. 

Overall, the consensus was that people had a very fun time at prom. Whether or not people were doubting the venue, doubts soon went away as the night went on. After Prom was also fun for the SES students. After Prom was at the District which has countless activities such as: go-karts, jelly ball, bumper cars, arcade games, roller skating, pool, pickleball, ax throwing, and more. Donuts, pizza, fruit, veggies, and candy were also provided at After Prom.