Fossil Ridge High School’s return to a normal Prom has come with celebration, along with curiosity. Students may find themselves wondering what the theme will be while Chelsea Ermer, one of Fossil’s visual arts teachers, has been eagerly waiting to reveal it. As soon as she got confirmation that Prom was on, she started conferring with Rebecca Black to decide on the theme.

Through lots of discussion and budgeting, they eventually decided on “Into the Woods”. Through the hard work of members of the National Art Honor Society (NAHS), the 2022 Prom is certain to be like a walk through a magical storybook forest. Ermer is especially excited about the grand entrance, complete with light-up trees.

But this decision was not a simple one to make. Unfortunately, the decorating company that Fossil has used in the past went out of business during the pandemic, so the school’s options were limited. “What can we do with our budget to make it as pretty as possible without having our decorator?” Ermer asked herself.

Since Fossil’s prom is held at an outside business, decorations depend on the venue’s electricity, capacity, and the school’s funding. However, Ermer stated that the Ranch at the Budweiser Event Center is, “a really nice blank canvas.” 

Due to other events happening at the same time, students are urged to park in parking lot G.

NAHS members have spent hours creating the reveal poster in the commons, which is up now, and setting up the venue, but the clean-up is left to the teachers as students attend the after-prom. 

In previous years, the art teachers recruited a group of juniors to brainstorm themes, and the student body got to vote. Ideally, Ermer would like to return to the democratic vote on the Prom theme in the future. “I think having students’ voices in something that is for them is really important,” she stated. 

Ermer’s favorite theme that Fossil has done in the past was “Starry Night” from 2019, but hopes to do something surrounding the 1920s in the future.

No matter the theme, it is guaranteed that the 2022 Prom will be a magical night to remember.

Prom will be held at the Budweiser Event Center on May 7, starting at 8 p.m.. Find more information here and ticket information on SchoolPay.