Local high school students traveled along Washington Street in grand style on their way to one of the most anticipated events each spring.
Horses, cars, trucks, boats, a white school bus, an RV camper and even a tractor carried the stars of the evening to the joint Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. prom Saturday.
Hundreds of parents, siblings and friends lined up along Washington Street to watch the annual parade-like scene and snap photos of some of the 1,100 juniors and other students from Columbus East, Columbus North and Columbus Signature Academy — New Tech who attended the event at The Commons. The students waved to the crowd as they journeyed to their destination.
Claudia Sims, a senior at CSA — New Tech, was among the parade participants and was seated next to her date Brayden Burbrink, a freshman at Purdue University, on a green tractor driven by her father Chad. Sims said the decision to ride a tractor was one she made with Burbrink and her father.
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“I wanted it to be a memorable experience,” Sims said with a smile. “It’s just something I’ve grown up around and really enjoy.”
Columbus resident Ryan Edgecomb drove a 1957 Chevrolet to transport his daughter Madison, a senior at Columbus East, and two of her friends in the prom parade.
Other parents, such as Randy Day and his wife Alishia, sat outside The Commons with a pair of chairs waiting to catch a glimpse of vehicles passing by. Day said he came to support his three children — Haylee Mote, a senior, and Kailee Hall, a junior who both attend CSA — New Tech, and Dalton Moore, a senior at Columbus East — and to watch them arrive at their prom.
“I just want them to have the best prom experience they can possibly have,” Day said.
Alishia Day also said the prom was a moment where she could enjoy watching her daughters get dressed up.
“It’s a day I can dress up my girls up as princesses,” she said. “They all like to look good.”
Sara Howard was waiting to see her daughter Olivia Slack, a senior at Columbus North, make her arrival to The Commons and said the moment was a special one since Slack is the youngest of her three daughters.
Howard was joined by her sister-in-law Irena Millington and said she particularly enjoys how Columbus comes together every year for the prom.
“It’s a right of passage,” Howard said, describing the parade and prom experience for students. “I think it’s neat that the whole town comes out for the kids.”
Other parents also came prepared to ensure they could be spotted in the large crowd by their son or daughter. Eric Whitlock blew a whistle to get the attention of his son Ty, a senior at Columbus East who was on a large boat being pulled by a truck on Washington Street.
Eric Whitlock described the crowd around him as a rock star atmosphere, adding that he hoped his son would enjoy his moment with his friends. He was joined by his wife Julia, a fourth-grade teacher at Smith Elementary School, who said she enjoyed being able to see many of her former students.
“It’s been kind of heartbreaking knowing it’s his last prom,” Whitlock said.
Inside The Commons, white strands of lights lined the stairs leading up to the second floor as students hit the dance floor enjoying the music played by a disc jockey on stage.
This year’s theme, “Written in the Stars,” was also evident with pictures of Vincent Van Gogh’s 1889 painting “The Starry Night” shown on three televisions, while white strands of light were hung above.
Tables were filled with snacks provided by Gramz Bakery and Cafe, including cupcakes, strawberry and vanilla macaroons, cake balls, white chocolate mousse, in addition to truffles. That allowed students to indulge while socializing with those around them.
Two photo areas — one with a gold backdrop, the other with a blue backdrop and a partial moon — also allowed attendees to capture memories.
Liz Hagen and Luke Miller, who are both juniors at Columbus East, said they enjoyed coming to the prom for the social aspect. They came with five other couples.
“It’s just great seeing all the people and being with my friends and dance with them to the music,” Hagen said.
One of the evening’s defining moments was the crowning of king and queen for each school, which drew loud cheers from those in the audience.
Sims, who was named CSA — New Tech’s prom queen, said she was surprised by her selection.
“There were a lot of amazing other girls who could’ve either been picked,” Sims said.
Her feeling of surprise was shared by New Tech prom king Kobi Scott, whose name drew the loudest cheers from the audience after his name was announced.
Josh Major was named prom king for East, while Delaney Jackson was named the school’s prom queen.
Jackson said she was excited to have been selected, adding that it was a good way for her to end her senior year.
“These are my best friends, so I’m super excited that I get to be with them tonight at this super fun event,” she said.
Cheers also erupted from the crowd when senior Yijiang Zhao was named Columbus North’s prom queen, while Jannis Anderson was named king.
Zhao described her reaction as being happy, surprised and excited shortly after being crowned. Anderson admitted he was also caught off-guard by the selection.
“Definitely unexpected, I didn’t even expect to make it on prom court, but winning this was really cool,” Anderson said.
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King
Name: Josh Major
Age: 18
Grade: Senior
Residence: Columbus
Parents: Mark and Jill
Queen
Name: Delaney Jackson
Age: 18
Grade: Senior
Residence: Columbus
Parents: Lora and Tom
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King
Name: Jannis Anderson
Age: 18
Grade: Senior
Residence: Columbus
Parents: Kent and Kathja
Queen
Name: Yijiang Zhao
Age: 18
Grade: Senior
Residence: Columbus
Parents: Xiaoqin Zhou and Jinqiang Zhao
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King
Name: Kobi Scott
Age: 18
Grade: Senior
Residence: Columbus
Parent: Tammy
Queen
Name: Claudia Sims
Age: 18
Grade: Senior
Residence: Columbus
Parents: Chad and Debbie
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See more photos on Pages A5, A6 and A8.
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See more photos in the online photo gallery at therepublic.com.
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