GROTON, Conn. – More than half of Fitch’s juniors had attended the annual Junior Prom, enjoying the young night as they danced with friends and took photos.
The dance had taken place on Saturday, May 2nd, 2026, from 6 – 10 p.m. inside the Groton Middle School cafeteria. The cafe was decorated with many black and gold balloons, with a red carpet when you walked in, and the decorations were abstract from the theme, “MTV Red Carpet”. A DJ was playing very popular hits that made half of the student body come to the dance floor. Mr. Russell, stationed at a corner near one of the lunch lines and the bathrooms, took professional yearbook pictures of students and friends, and even some teachers as well, such as Mr. Diskin. There was also a photo booth that tied in really well with the decorations, as there were props for the students to use.
While prom is sometimes viewed as a stereotypically “boring” school event, students proved otherwise by enjoying the dance floor, professional photos, and the photobooth throughout the night. Many of the fun times were during the dances, as the DJ had played “Fein,” an old but still popular song by Travis School, which made almost the entire student body of juniors jump around and form a huddle. Even though there was a small conflict between some students, the overall prom was really fun and enjoyful of a way to spend time with friends outside of school. As many students showed support for Prom Queen, Ruby Pendola, and Prom King, Thomas Frickman, as they were voted among by their peers.
Some students, however, expressed disappointment with the junior prom, finding some aspects of the prom displeasing.
“Junior prom was disappointing. The decorations were few and far between, many of them carelessly taped to the walls of the Groton Middle School cafeteria,” Said junior Caylee Lang. “The only redeeming quality of this entire endeavor was the photo booth and its a wide variety of fun props.”
Another junior shared similar disappointment.
“It was poorly decorated, and it seemed put together at the last minute. Very few people from our grade seemed to show up, and it was generally underwhelming,” said Casey Gilmore. “The best part of the night was dinner I had with friends and my girlfriend afterwards.”
While some students have expressed their disappointment with the prom, teachers chaperoning the event had different feelings.
“I enjoyed chaperoning Junior Prom. The pros: I get to see students all dressed up (much different from class casual), free food and snacks, and returning the favor for other teachers who chaperoned when I was the Junior Class advisor,” said Sra. Coraizaca. “The cons: leaving the house at night, going to bed late, and not having enough water bottles.”
