Unlike in years past, the weather played a part in the May 9 Cornwall High School junior class prom festivities, but that didn’t stop the students from having a good time.
The tradition has been to drive down to Donahue Memorial Park, in Cornwall-on-Hudson, to take pre-prom photos along the Hudson riverfront. Cars usually line the entire length of Dock Hill Road requiring police presence to coordinate traffic. A misty rain fell during the late afternoon and early evening hours keeping traffic to a minimum.
Junior Steve Fox estimated about 15 to 20 classmates could be found at the riverfront park around 5:30 that evening. When the rain would fall, Fox noted more teens opted to take photos in the gazebo. Junior Megan Gagnon said she visited the park about an hour later and counted more students, but definitely not as many as in previous years. Gagnon said she was a little disappointed, but happy with how her pictures came out. Fox said he took photos at friend’s house as well.
On the day of the prom, the juniors were allowed to leave school early in order to prepare. Fox said it took him about an hour to get a haircut and change into the tuxedo he rented from Sossi Formals. His black tux was accompanied by a silver/gray striped vest. Fox’s father helped him adjust his tie, and his girlfriend’s grandmother pinned a corsage on his lapel.
Gagnon, on the other hand, said it took her over two hours to get ready. Her routine included getting her hair done, putting on makeup, and then slipping on a short purple dress with open back, and heels. Gagnon had an interesting story behind the acquisition of her dress.
“I got mine for free because there was a program in New York City for daughters of people in the military. I went down and got a free Sherri Hill prom dress.”
The event included a prom fashion show and food.
Gagnon attended the prom with her friend Matt Rose.
Fox and Gagnon arrived at the Meadowbrook Lodge around 7 p.m. Outside, they noticed some of their classmates were having photos taken under the gazebo. They noted the gazebo was located on a small island surrounded by what they described as a moat. The students had to cross a bridge to get to the gazebo. Others decided to go inside for photos. An arch was set up with a backdrop.
As each junior entered the catering hall they were handed a sheet of paper and instructed to write down the name of a male and female to be named to the prom court. The submitted names were tallied and the top male and female were named prom king and queen. The next two highest totals for each sex earned them nominations as princes and princesses. Gagnon was voted as a prom princess and Fox as one of the princes. Teacher Betsy DiNillo was named honorary queen because she received one vote.
“My friend told me earlier in the day that she wanted to nominate me,” Fox said. “I said ‘thank you,’ but I wasn’t into the whole thing at first. When I found out I won, I was shocked.”
Gagnon also thanked those who told her, throughout the evening, they voted for her, and she was happy to receive her tiara when her name was announced. Fox was handed a little star with his name and junior prom prince written on it.
The prom court was then invited onto the floor to dance to Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved.”
At one point during the evening, something odd caught Fox’s attention.
“I was dancing on the dance floor and looked over to where the food was, and all of a sudden I see one kid fly over the crowd like someone threw him into the air. He goes back down and it happens again.”
Fox never found out what was going on, but chalked it up to “teens just being teens.”
When the prom ended at 11 p.m., Fox went over to a friend’s house to play ping pong, Chinese checkers, and enjoyed potato chips and soda. Gagnon, unfortunately, went home afterwards.
“A lot of my friends were going to the diner, but I had to wake up the next morning at 4 a.m. to go to a soccer tournament in Massachusetts, so I had to go home to go to bed.”
Reflecting on the prom, Fox said it was better than he predicted. He expected to be sitting in his chair eating while he watched other people dance.
“Everyone was dancing,” Gagnon said. “Nobody was in their seat for very long.”
