Our lucky juniors and seniors attended their 2026 prom at Rocky Mount Academy this past Friday, April 24. Although most students go to prom twice, it’s a very different experience each year: RMA allows the junior class to choose the theme, plan, and set up for the dance, while seniors simply show up and enjoy!
The process of planning starts with raising money. As you probably know, the juniors raise money by selling poinsettias; this year, eleventh graders were asked to sell at least 25 poinsettias each. In total, the class sold 1,014. This was a bigger number than anticipated, which helped tremendously.
Shortly after selling and delivering the poinsettias, the juniors began planning for prom! With the help and support of Ms. Knox and Ms.O’Brien, who have advised prom since 2016, this process was a smooth one. The juniors first started by deciding on a theme; luckily, the majority of the juniors had similar ideas: an art deco style, a 1920’s vibe, and a dramatic dark color palette. Stuck on deciding exactly which way to go–opera? murder mystery?-Cameron Macdonald brought up the idea of the Moulin Rouge, which was perfect because it had all the ideas together in one place!
In the weeks and months leading up to prom, Ms. O’Brien and Ms. Knox put the juniors’ poinsettia money to work by purchasing supplies from many different vendors, including Hobby Lobby, Lowe’s, Anderson’s Prom, Amazon, and Temu; this was in addition to some visits to the grocery store to buy refreshments and fresh flowers for centerpieces. To add some extra polish, the juniors also ordered professionally printed signs from Allegra, a local printing company owned by junior Michell Hinson’s father.
As always, the process of setting up for prom began after lunch on the Wednesday of the week of prom. Juniors had just two goals for that day: hanging the black curtains that hide the cafeteria walls and draping the fabric that covers the ceiling. Neither task is easy–students have to climb ladders, and staff go all the way up to the ceiling in a scissor lift!–but everyone worked together to make it happen.
On Thursday, the real decorating began. Junior Carter Smith added the pearl chandelier to the ceiling (which he said was a lot of fun since he got to ride on the lift!) while a handful of junior boys hung red fabric across the stage to look like the red curtains of traditional theaters and put up a lighted sign reading “Moulin Rouge.” After enjoying some lunch–El Mariachi and cookie cake!–the girls set up tables with freshly steamed black and red linens, assembled new gold vases, and arranged ostrich-feather centerpieces.
Lastly, on Friday, the day of prom, the finishing touches were added, including fresh red roses and the silhouettes of can-can dancers that adorned the glass wall. There was also a fair bit of cleaning and tidying to do! Although it was a lot of work, the juniors enjoyed the setup process because it was an all-grade project where everyone could bond instead of being split into individual classes.
When the big night came, everything was perfect and memorable. One thing RMA is really proud of is that, for the last dozen or so years, we
have hired a live band to play, which is unique because most surrounding schools just have a DJ! This year’s band was Seven Till Sunrise and was booked a whole eleven months before the prom took place. As the band played softly in the background, Ms. Covolo presented the seniors and their dates, which is what seniors and their parents look forward to the most since each and every senior gets to have the spotlight on them. (If you weren’t there on Prom night, these special moments were captured by Nicolas DuPont ‘25.) After presentations, seniors danced with their mothers or fathers–including senior Ellen Feagans with her dad, history teacher Mr. John Feagans–and then their dates; after that, everyone hit the dance floor and the party really started!
Although the seniors were the stars of prom, and the juniors planned and set it up, we have to acknowledge the help of sophomores Elizabeth Kibbe, Amal Showkier, Ada Dunton, Emma Vire, and Qianquian Huang. These sophomore “waiters” helped by keeping the room tidy, taking care of the senior girls’ bouquets, and making the prom’s signature drinks (the Red Windmill, the Can-Can Kick, and the Feathered Fan, among others). Upper School Head Mr. Timmy Tucker, who spent a fair bit of time on the lift, was also instrumental in making the event a success. A few others who should be acknowledged include Mrs. Stone (who managed the poinsettia accounts), Ms. Alford and Mrs. Reges in the Business Office (who kept up with the 40+ transactions it took to pay for Prom), and, of course, Ms. Covolo, who was always working behind the scenes to make sure the juniors had everything they needed to make Prom truly special.
I wish I could tell you about next year’s exciting Prom theme, but we’ll have to wait until next March to find out. Whatever the rising juniors choose, I know it will be great!
