T-R PHOTOS BY ANTHONY BRADSTREAM — At left, Marshalltown High School senior Tre Brooks escorts Paige Peterson through the grand march of prom on Saturday night at the Roundhouse. At right, Senior Caleb Kusserow poses with his date Natalie Nicklos during the march.

The Roundhouse sparkled bright on Saturday as another Marshalltown High School prom came and went.

Amidst a sea of sequined formal dresses and black tuxedos, MHS students strode their stuff during the promenade on Saturday.

Junior class sponsors and prom veterans MHS English teacher Shelly Chandler and Spanish teacher James Christensen said it was not their first year being involved with the event.

He said they have supervised “quite a few” promenade portions through the years.

“The actual dance – this will be the first time for me,” Christensen said.

Attendance at the 2024 prom was also a record high with 316 tickets sold. In order to be a prom-goer, Christensen said students need to meet attendance and academic requirements.

The junior class chose the theme of Dancing Through the Decades.

“We try to gather juniors and get a diverse group [to work on the prom],” Chandler said.

The theme features music from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. She said DJ Jose Ramirez focused on personalizing the annual event. He even inquired how many slow songs they wanted to play.

“He’s really gone above and beyond,” Chandler said. “He’s really trying to do what they want. I have never heard the kids, ever in my 36 years, say, ‘That DJ was good.’ They always say the DJ sucks.”

Christensen said it is difficult to make all of the kids happy all of the time. According to Chandler, Ramirez met with the students and ensured he played the music they enjoyed.

“He is doing the prom for free,” Chandler said. “That is huge! It costs $600 to $700 for a DJ, and we are allotted around $1,000. He said he would do it for free. We told these kids, ‘OK. Your decade is the 70s, so you get $150.’ ‘Your decade is the 80s. You get $150.’ It was cool we could spend more money because of Jose.”

After the grand march in front of family and friends, students went to the adjoining room for the dance portion of the evening. Heads, heels and standards were held high. There was no shortage of chaperones, as Chandler said sponsors of every MHS grade have to provide their supervision at prom.

The biggest rule was the standard no drinking or drugs, she said. Prior to the event, Chandler said one chaperone joked about separating the boys and girls during prom.

“We’re not really worried,” she said. “We never have any problems. We’ve got so many adults here, which is nice, and kids are generally shy.”

After the dance, Chandler said students went into the gymnasium for the after-party, which was Casino Night. Students filled the night with games, a dodgeball tournament, painting activities, and an inflatable obstacle course.

“There are strict rules, such as once you leave, you can’t come back,” Chandler said.

The event closed at 4 a.m.

——

Contact Lana Bradsteam at (641) 753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.