Katie Hansen

When asked to recall a favorite high school memory, chances are that Prom will be a pretty common answer. The traditions of finding your perfect dress, getting ready with your friends before going out to dinner and dancing the night away are memories that girls throughout every generation remember and cherish. 

While Prom has been going on throughout the entirety of Marian’s existence, so many things have changed that Marian’s first Prom may look unrecognizable compared to Prom today. 

Marian’s first principal, Sr. Marcella Sitzman OSM, did not allow boys on campus so Prom was for Marian students only. It was not until Sr. Eleanor Galt OSM became principal in 1967 that girls were allowed to invite dates. 

One major thing that has changed is the dress code. Up until the mid ’60s, all dresses had to be approved by the sisters. At a pre-prom gathering hosted by the nuns, girls and their dates would share tea with the sisters who would inspect the dresses to ensure they followed the dress code guidelines. 

Mrs. Michelle Delisi, who graduated in 1974, did not experience the formal dress inspection but remembers the guidelines to be very specific. “You couldn’t have strapless, tank, or spaghetti straps. You had to have sleeves. No cutouts, no low back, no plunging necklines. You had to be completely covered,” Delisi said.  

Although these rules make it seem that it would be nearly impossible to find a passing dress today, the styles and trends of dresses in the past made it fairly easy for girls to still find their “dream” dress.

As far as the actual event itself, Marian’s Prom has seen some changes throughout the years. Prom has been held at many different venues throughout the years and continues to change year to year today. 

Mr. Mark Koesters, who first arrived at Marian in 1987, remembers that proms often had live bands instead of DJs. “I remember in dances past we would have live bands, but that was a long time ago, up until the early ’90s,” Koesters said. 

Mr. Koesters’ favorite change that has been made to Prom was when in the early 2000s every person had to be breathalyzed before being allowed to enter the dance. “Prom was my favorite dance to chaperone because I knew everybody was breathalyzed, and nobody there had alcohol on their breath. That just made it more comfortable,” Koesters said. 

One thing that has not changed is Prom’s popularity! For decades, Prom has been a huge event that gets girls excitedly waiting for spring each year.  Both Mrs. Delisi and Mr. Koesters argue that Prom was even more of a “big deal” in the past. “What I notice about Prom now is right after the crowning it clears out whereas before people stayed longer,” Koesters said. 

Although Prom now looks a little bit different than it did in the past, the memories girls create during Prom are very similar to those from decades before them. The feeling of getting ready for your cliche high school dance is something that feels the same in every generation.