Graduated in 1993, didn’t go to prom or any prom-related activities. I don’t even think I knew what night it was happening on.
I wasn’t and am not into that sort of thing. Plus I know my mom would have been extremely annoying, making a huge deal out of it. I’m so glad I’m past most of the rites of passage (and don’t live with my parents) so I don’t have to deal with them making a big deal out of those things any more.
Junior prom 1995, went with my long-distance boyfriend, my best girl friend, and she hooked up with his best friend so we went as a 4some. It kind of sucked and was definitely lame.
Senior prom 1996, went with my best guy friend, and we had a fabulous time (we won the twist contest! woo!) And we totally made out afterward.
I went to a tiny high school where pretty much everyone went to the prom, but it was common to go in groups or with friends. Very few people actually had “dates” unless they were already a couple. One of my friends (a guy) went with his two best friends (both girls). People didn’t spend all that much money on dresses etc. and if limos were involved they were shared by large groups to cut down on the cost.
I already mentioned my tales in another thread, but with it being so hard to find anything to contribute to the Dope, I’ll elaborate here.
Tickets have been cheap at my school, comparatively, so I’ve been able to go many times for under 100 bucks each time. Not terrible…
The first time, I went with my “it’s complicated” best friend of several years. Her sister rented a white SUV and dressed up as a chauffer and we ate at the local Wendys. In fact, just before prom she started to really like-like this one guy, so we hung out with him and his date for most of the time. Afterwards, we went to K-Mart and one or two other places and danced for a little more.
Last year, my sister and her boyfriend (1 and 2 years older than me) wanted to go with my sister’s good friend (same age), so the friend asked me. They were all cool cats, all jive friends, so it was a hella good time. Just went home afterwards, to no fanfare.
This year, I don’t know yet. I’m thinking I’ll go with this one friend of mine, or I’ll go stag with this group of guys who also don’t have dates.
I’ve always enjoyed prom for some reason. Our school isn’t really divided, and if it was, I wouldn’t care anyway. The key to enjoying yourself at prom is the key to enjoying life: don’t give a damn and dance like a dog with tennis ball feet.
Class of 2000; I did go. It wasn’t kind of blah - I was told I looked good in my suit, but I don’t like dancing and didn’t have a date.
I never graduated from high school. I entered college when I was sixteen. In retrospect, I wish I had stayed in high school, doing the usual high school things. I probably wouldn’t have been asked to the prom by a boy, but I might have gone with a few other female wallflowers. It’s an experience that I wish I’d had.
It’s called the “school formal” here.
Yes I went to mine. I finished high school in 1981. It was an enjoyable evening at Sydney Uni’s refectory. It seems like a long time ago now.
You should know that there are some of us who, in retrospect, wish we could have left high school and entered college at 16.
But I bet you went to the Senior tractor pull didn’t ya? 
Too bad I didn’t know you then (I’m guessing). We could have watched DALLAS together.
Uh, huh and a-MEN to that.
I’m not trying to be a smart-aleck, but pinkfreud, I think, is a member in very good standing on another BBS which I won’t name, but the credentials are pretty awesome. If she’d been in my high school, maybe I would’ve made the senior prom after all. 
Class of '75.
Didn’t go to the prom.
Didn’t attend graduation even though I did graduate.
Never bought a yearbook.
Never bought a class ring.
Went to the 5 year reunion only because my ex-wife was in the same class and she wanted to. Haven’t been to another.
No regrets.
High school spirit, thy name is River Hippie!
Hell no, I didn’t go to my prom. No regrets. They were all a bunch of rednecks. When the playlist includes songs like “Summer of '69” (we graduated in '96, but it wouldn’t matter what year, they still would have included that crap), Meatloaf songs, and Metallica, I don’t want to have anything to do with it. The theme for the whole thing was uninspired: Out of the Bricks in '96. Good lord, people, you couldn’t come up with anything more interesting or creative? Gag me with a spoon.
Nope.
No one invited me. The two guys I asked turned me down.
Not going. Attending US Chemistry Olympiad study camp instead (20 people competing for 4 spots in International Chemistry Olympiad). No regrets
Actually, a girl from our school also qualified for the camp. So, it’ll be just like prom, except two weeks long, with studying, and labs, and test. See? The exact same thing. 
Yes, it sucked. I ditched my date afterwords and hung with an ex had a blast.
High School teacher now, have a blast every year. Mostly this is because I love everyone there, and love seeing them all dolled up. But proms have also changed in a couple signifigane ways, or maybe big city public schools are just different:
LOTS of kids go single. Like probably 20% came without a date. This was unthinkable when I was in high school–if you couldn’t get a date, you didnt “get” to go. We’ve tried to encourage this by not even selling “couple” tickets–they are all single and if someone wants to but two tickets that is fine, but there’s no loser line for the kids who want to buy a single one. Single kids can dance together or hang out together.
We serve a nice dinner (carving station, some sort of chicken, salad, pasta, fancy fancy desserts). This really arose because most of the “nice” hotels have a minimmum dollar amount–you have to spend at least 10K on SOMETHING to rent the room, so we might as well spend it on the hotel catering. But this has had some great side effects–one, it gives the kids who don’t dance (though more kids dance these days, or at least grind rythmically) something to do, and two, it really brings the price down for the evening as a whole–dinner can get so expensive so quickly, and makes the whole thing more complicated. Lastly, because dinner is included, it’s easier to discretely subsidize prom for kids who can’t afford it–the PTA can just add kids we know need help to the list, or an annoynmous donner can just buy a ticket, and that takes care of everything but clothes.
Manda JO, that’s wonderful. I wish they’d done it in my time. And your post reminds me that I’m hungry, too. 
What the hell kind of a responsible parent are you??? She goes off for ten days and you don’t bat an eyelash??? My god, man. I can’t imagine what you’ll tolerate when she’s a Senior !!!
Graduated 1980 in Philly suburbs, went to prom with HS/early college gf. We weren’t overly popular either, but we did hang at a table of similarly social misfits. We left kinda early. Drove around. Wound up at Valley Forge National Park. Necked insanely. Drove around some more. Necked some more. Got a cheapo letter opener as a Prom Gift which I use to this day to open up my mail.
Haven’t gone to a single reunion. Almost all memories from HS are pretty abysmal, so why go?
Of course I went to prom. Or formal, as we called it. Got drunk, got felt up. It was productive.
For some reason my high school doesn’t have reunions. I’d go if they did. Maybe it’s a Canadian thing; this is a 160-year-old high school with a pretty large student population so they could certainly hold some good ones. Of course, in all likelihood they would hold it a weekend I was travelling, that always being the way with stuff like that.
Grad in 1971. Didn’t go to the prom. It smacked of “the establishment” to me, and I was anti-everything back then.
Heh. I’m going to my 35 year reunion this September. Like, wow, it’s gonna be a real trip, ya dig?