Now that the 2023 Kettle Run Prom is over, it’s time to talk about what went down. From the events of the dance all the way to the end of after-prom, this article has it covered. 

This year’s Kettle Run prom was held at The Inn at Vint Hill, and the venue was even better than expected. From the moment the guests stepped into the Inn, they were warmly welcomed by teacher volunteers, and even given a place to check their bags in if they didn’t want to carry them all night. Though the dance wasn’t held inside of the building, there were many features that let students and their guests linger inside and enjoy their time there. There was a large room with beautiful decor that was filled with students taking pictures with friends and dates, as well as a table of cupcakes for guests to take whenever they wanted a sweet treat. Besides providing a picturesque area for photos, the Inn also provided a slightly quieter location for students to hang out with their friends.

The actual dance was held outside of the Inn, under a tent decorated with bright, multicolored lights. While the decorations were fun, the students didn’t feel like they fit the theme of the night, which was Enchanted Garden. Junior Raegan Whitten said that “I didn’t really see the theme, I didn’t see any themed decorations.”  Other students agreed that while the dance was enjoyable, the decoration didn’t quite fit the theme. The only other student complaint about the dance was the music choice. In the earlier hours of the dance, the music choice didn’t exactly live up to the students’ expectations. Junior Luke Moriarty said that “It was organized really well, and I had fun taking pictures with friends. The variety of music was too wide. It would go from techno stuff to rap to slow dance with nothing in between.” While the music choices did get better, it wasn’t until later in the night, over two hours into the dance. When asked about his thoughts on the dance, Senior Victor Dumitru commented that “Overall it was an enjoyable experience, especially after 10:30 because the music got really good.” The halfway point of the dance and one of many highlights of the night was the naming of the Prom King and Queen. Congratulations Lexi Smith and Carter Simpson on being the Kettle Run 2023 Prom King and Queen! Students generally agreed that after Queen and King were announced, the music definitely improved. The overall opinion of the students was that despite a few flaws, the dance was very fun and they definitely had a good time. 

The dance wasn’t the only fun activity of the night, the KRHS After-Prom was definitely exciting and enjoyable for everyone who attended. Students could show up anytimes between 12-1 a.m., and they were provided with free food and drink, as well as lots of fun games to fill their time. Bingo games were held in the cafeteria for a variety of prizes, and a wide array of food was provided for students to eat. Dessert was included too, with both a shaved ice truck and an icecream truck showing up to give the students a sweet treat. Games included inflatable rock climbing, inflatable ax throwing, a mechanical bull, casino games, skeeball, along with a few others. When completing the games, students were given tickets to enter in the most anticipated part of the night: the raffle. Students had from the time they arrived until around 3:15 a.m. to submit their tickets to the prizes that they hoped to win. The ticket prizes included gift cards, a gym membership, a play station 5, a minifridge, and many others. Some other prizes, like parking spaces and yearbooks, automatically entered all juniors and seniors into the draw. One lucky senior even got to win the senior cash prize, so congrats to Jack Rice for winning $2,023!

Overall, all of the organizers and volunteers did an amazing job on Prom and After Prom. Congratulations as well to the Prom court and everyone who won a raffle prize at After Prom. I hope everyone had a good time and I can’t wait for Kettle Run Prom in 2024!