One of the most anticipated high school events of the spring, besides graduation, is the annual Prom.

The Tyrone Area Junior and Senior prom is set for Friday, May 17^th, 2013. The students have all day to get ready for the big event.

The prom is held at the Altoona Heritage Discovery Center in downtown Altoona from 7:30pm until 11:00 pm. Prom will start with the outdoor “Grand March” where all attendees and their escorts are announced and will walk along the corridor beside the Kazmaier Center.

Many preparations and many volunteers are necessary to make this day a success. High school math teacher, Michelle Marasco, is one of the chairpersons of the prom committee along with Learning support teacher Jessica Anderson.  Marasco states she has been involved with prom for 20 years.

Together with the prom committee, made up of Juniors and Seniors, Marasco said she is responsible for picking a theme, determining fundraisers, finding a DJ, and decorating.

Marasco reported, “The most popular fundraisers are chocolate covered pretzels and Marianna’s Hoagies.”

Kathleen Beck, a junior, is one of the 18 members of this year’s prom committee who enjoys working on the prom preparations.

She said, “The committee meets once a week starting after Christmas.”

Some of the early tasks include ‘brainstorming and voting on a theme.’ During the prom, the committee is in charge and makes sure that everything runs smoothly.

According to Marasco, “About 250 to 300 students attend prom each year, depending on the class sizes.” In recent years Marasco has seen more groups of students go to prom together than couples.  Many students still have dates.

Erik Wagner, a TAHS junior, suggests, “Most people should find their dates in February.”

Besides the actual dance, there are other traditions students carry out for prom. Everyone gets dressed up in formal attire such as long gowns for the girls and tuxedos for the boys. Erik Wagner reports that getting a corsage for the girl, taking pictures, and going to a nice restaurant are other popular traditions.

For many students their prom experience does not change much from their freshman to their senior year.

Wagner reported, “Essentially I will be doing the same exact things this year that I have done my freshman and sophomore years.”

However, Marasco, who has been involved with prom for much longer, notices the biggest change in the dancing.

She said, “The dances have changed. It used to be the Electric Slide, now it is Gangnam Style.”

For more information contact Michelle Marasco, Jess Anderson, or Jessica Grazier.