Prom is a once a year event that is held for seniors to attend. Everyone dresses up in their best black tie formal outfits and gets ready to spend a night with peers. With prom being one of the biggest events at Niles North we’re taking a behind the scenes look at Niles North’s preparation for this day.

With the day of prom approaching soon we took an inside look with our director of student activities, Caroline Benjamin. She said, “We research different venues based on location, price, and value.  We ask for student input and want to make sure its a place students would love.”

The other committee members for this event are the senior and junior class board sponsors Eleni Andritakis and Josephine Jado.

Even though the event has a lot of preparation behind it from the sponsors it also takes a lot of prep from the students to get ready for the big night.

For the female-identifying students, buying a dress, getting your nails done, and hair and makeup appointments can be very overwhelming. The prices of prom dresses typically cost anywhere from $100-$300.

Rosalie Xavier, senior said, “For prom, the process of finding a dress was stressful and took time. On top of that my dress needed alterations. Prom is a pricey event but if you’re willing to pay for the expenses of that it can be a very memorable day.”

In addition to the dress finding process, typically girls go to get their hair and makeup done at a salon.

Xavier said,  “Luckily I have a friend who offered to do mine but many girls have to pay around 100 dollars for just hair and makeup.”

According to the 2015 survey by Visa.com, the average price of prom for females is $978 in total.

Now for males, they tend to have a smaller price. Most boys have to worry about finding a suit or tuxedo that fits with the style they’re going for. The average price that males pay for the entire event is around $400, which while also pricey doesn’t compare to the price that females pay.

Niles North prom will take place at the Loews Hotel in Rosemont. For the senior class, this will be their last school event to celebrate with their close friends.

If you’re interested in learning more about the event, contact Caroline Benjamin.