After a year (or two) in isolation, SCA hosted “A Night at The Met Gala” at the Dulles Marriott Hotel, inviting all juniors and seniors to celebrate spring prom. With much anticipation, the doors opened at 7:00p.m. and allowed Stone Bridge’s best dressed to flow through until 11:00p.m. 

Leading up to the event, SCA hosted four spirit days: Frat vs. Sorority, Camo vs. Red, White, and Blue, Soccer Mom vs. BBQ Dad, and Black out (including a junior vs. senior Powderbuff volleyball game during a pep rally on Friday). The seniors’ won the Powderbuff game against juniors, along with winning against all grades in the rollercoaster scream contest and the finish-the-song lyric contest.

“Getting to wear a fancy dress and put on a full face of makeup [was my favorite part of prom],” senior Lydia Wallis said.

In the theme of “A Night at the Met Gala”, a red carpet was rolled out along the hallway of the venue, giving students photo opportunities as if they were at the Met Gala. Along with the red carpet rollout, students wore various formal fits, each outfit a different color from the other including red, blue, white, black, yellow, purple, and more. 

“Prom was a blast,” senior Diana Altenhof said. “For a while I felt like I was just going through the emotions. Though getting ready, eating, and actually being at the dance was fun, it more so felt like the night was going just in sequence, like I was hitting boxes on a checklist. Then I realized I was [trying] to idealize it and make it “perfect”. But it’s not supposed to be perfect, just an awesome time with your friends.”

By the end of the night, after all the ballots for Prom King and Queen had been casted, Altenhof received the honor of winning Prom Queen. 

“Frankly, I was happy but didn’t feel the specialness at first,” Altenhof said. “It felt nice but expected, a lot of people told me they voted for me so I figured I could get it. I also didn’t get my hopes up either. I didn’t want to make it so significant that if I wasn’t crowned it wouldn’t ruin my night.”

After being crowned queen, many students shared their congratulations and excitement with Altenhof.

“It was actually everyone else’s reaction that made it feel truly special and exciting,” Altenhof said. “Everyone was happy for me, congratulating me, etc. And they still are! People are greeting me on social media, in the hallways, and sharing their happiness with me.”

Along with Altenhof, Nabill Mekki was awarded the title of Met Gala Prom King.

“I felt pretty excited about the whole thing and was not sure if I was going to win or not,” Mekki said.

With a DJ and dance floor, students were encouraged to dance to well-known and popular hits  such as “Shut Up and Dance” and “Fire Burning”. 

“The music choice was great,” senior Michael Antonucci said. “I really enjoyed the dance floor because everyone was hyping each other up.”

Students spent most of the night on the dance floor, with students occasionally joining and leaving the floor. 

“I’m never on the dance floor, maybe only for a song or two, but this time I spent about half my time jumping around in my 4-layer skirt and crocs,” Altenhof said.

Many had formed circles at the dance, showing off their skills as they jammed to the music. 

“Dancing was fun!” senior Brenna Thompson-Arrington said. “People got in circles, and everyone was hyping everyone else up. The guys from the stage started break dancing which was super cool. For the music, sometimes the songs were really good and sometimes the songs were bad but overall, it was fine.”

Food and drink booths also were offered to students at the event, including fruit punch, lemonade, pizza, s’mores, and more.

“I was surprised with the food and drink they provided, the selections were small but simple enough for most people to enjoy and eat,” senior Aisun Abedinzadeh said.

However and wherever prom is held, memories are sure to be made among peers. This year surely seemed to be a testament to the fact.

“I may not feel the specialness and appreciation 100% right now, but I know in my heart that down the line I’ll look back on prom and be so proud and feel even more grateful,” Altenhof said.