On the first day of the spring semester, Hamilton witnessed an unexpected twist in the lead-up to this year’s senior prom. What was intended to be a lighthearted prank to unveil the prom theme voting ended up leaving students less than amused.

The 12th grade class had entrusted senior class leadership with the task of revealing the much-anticipated prom theme in a creative and entertaining way. Unfortunately, the harmless prank quickly hatched an awkward situation.

Senior class, aiming to generate attention and excitement over the upcoming prom theme voting, posted an image on Instagram that appeared to announce the theme as “Zombie Prom: The Proggg.” This was posted with the caption “hey yankees the class of 2024 is excited to announce that this years prom theme is ZOMBIES!! Follow us to stay up to date with all prom updates!”

As the post circulated on the first day of the spring semester, confusion and bewilderment spread among the student body. The comments section quickly filled with a mix of anger and disappointment. AMPA Senior Elijah Small was one of the many who strongly expressed their thoughts in the comments section. 

Small said, “I think for the first time, the hate really united the people. The comments were funny. I had a good chortle.”

Students and parents became outraged over the theme, with SAS Senior Adriana Cano creating a petition on change.org to allow frustrated students the opportunity to voice their concerns and advocate for a new and more fitting prom theme. 

Adriana Cano’s petition to change the theme on change.org.

Adriana’s petition, titled “Change Hami’s Prom Theme,” rapidly gained traction as disgruntled students and their parents rallied behind the cause. The petition emphasized the significance of the senior prom and argued that the chosen theme failed to reflect the elegance and memorable experience they had envisioned for this milestone event, possibly alienating some students due to discomfort and unease.

In the petition description, Cano eloquently expressed the disappointment shared by many, stating, “We, the undersigned students of Hami High School, respectfully request a reconsideration of the chosen prom theme from “zombies” to an alternative theme that fosters a more inclusive and enjoyable environment for all attendees. While acknowledging the creative intent behind the initial choice, many of us feel that a theme centered around “zombies” might inadvertently alienate some students, causing discomfort or unease.”

The change.org petition also outlined specific grievances, including the lack of consideration to ensure that every student can fully engage in the celebration without feeling excluded or marginalized. 

As over 300 signatures flooded in, accompanied by passionate comments expressing frustration and the desire for a more traditional and elegant theme, the movement gained even more attention on Instagram. An anonymous student-run account under the the username @secret.seniorclass.hami created multiple posts expressing disappointment with the zombie theme and began the hashtag “#notourprom2024.”

This further encouraged the ridiculing comments underneath the announcement post, with some students claiming that both the senior class president Ayanna Robinson and the Class of 2024 account were blocking students in response to comments stating to change the theme.  

Senior class leadership refuted these claims through private messages on Instagram, telling The Federalist, “We wanted to clarify that we haven’t blocked anyone from commenting or viewing our page. However, social media has rules against spamming… [and] put the comments under review.”

On Tuesday morning, the senior leadership account posted a video revealing that the former theme announcement was a prank, emphasizing that the actual prom theme selections were open for voting. This disgruntled students even more, as they found the joke to be ill mannered.

Prank reveal on Senior class Instagram. (Instagram screenshot)

Jade Rodriguez, a Humanities senior, expressed her disappointment, stating, “I’m happy it’s just a prank but it was poorly executed.”

 Many of her fellow seniors agreed, with AMPA senior Elizabeth Morales saying, “I am really glad that the prom theme was a prank. Maybe they thought it would be funny, but all it did was make the school look like a joke. There were so many students from other schools saying that it was embarrassing for the entire senior class.”

In an effort to clarify the situation, senior class president Ayanna Robinson made an announcement on the PA Tuesday morning, emphasizing that it was all a prank. Senior class leadership further justified the reasoning behind their prank in private messages, explaining, “We wanted to start off the year with a fun prank that would get everyone talking about prom season and encourage participation. We asked for input but in the past, many people ignored our requests. This year, we thought a prank would be a great way to get people to vote and share their ideas.” 

They also refuted the allegations of a cover-up, as many students believed that they were using the excuse of a prank to excuse their mistake with the theme. “For anyone who thinks we made a mistake and are trying to cover it up, we want to assure you that the prank was planned and approved by both the senior class leadership and our admin team including Principal Baxter.”

Senior class has recently released the real prom theme options where students can vote for their favorite. The three themes consist of: Mythical Grove, Victorian, and Around the World. 

SAS Senior Madelene Natividad said, “I really look forward to dressing up for the night and spending time with friends!”