We’re smack dab in the middle of prom season for graduating high schoolers in Canada. And as the kids (and their parents) prepare for the big celebration, Canadians across the country are hit with a wave of nostalgia for their own proms.
We asked Globe readers to share their favourite memories of their proms (or “formals,” as a lot of readers pointed out). From dress mishaps to memorable afterparties, here are some highlights.
Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.
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A secret meeting: My favourite prom memory took place about four years after prom. I grew up in a small town – Fonthill – in the 1970s. Many of us had gone to school with each other for most of our school years. Almost everyone who wanted to go to prom did, even though many of us weren’t dating. It turns out the guys had a meeting and made sure everyone was getting asked. And they didn’t tell anyone! Until someone spilled the beans over beers at university. – Jaqueline Cook, Toronto
The strict teacher: It happened in Vancouver. One of my friends brought a bottle of champagne and five or six of us went into the middle of the field in the dark to share it. We were all pretty responsible kids, but we were underaged, this was illegal and definitely against school rules. While we were opening it, we noticed that one of the teachers, acting as a chaperone, was striding towards us. We were too late to hide anything – and he was one of the “meaner” teachers – so we knew we were screwed. He got up to us, paused and said, “do you have a glass for me?” It was exactly the right thing to say. We poured him a glass, toasted a big moment in our lives, the teacher went back into the school and he never mentioned it again. He took a huge risk and treated us like grown-ups. I wouldn’t recommend that others do this, but I remember that toast as one of the great moments in my high school life. – Richard Smith, Toronto
For some Globe readers, their prom memories have stayed with them for decades.Bradley Pisney/Pexels/stock
A dance with a curfew: I grew up and went to high school in the U.K. We did not have a “prom” as such but there was a school dance with new dresses – boys down one side of the gym and girls down the other. We had practiced dancing for weeks wearing sneakers! A week before the big night, a kiss behind the tennis courts necessitated suspension. I dressed up on the big night – walked around town for the two or three hours before my curfew and then went home. To this day I think nobody but a few students knew. – Hilary Lansdowne, Parksville, B.C.
Prom for parents, too: I actually have a great story from a parent’s perspective. Years ago, my daughter graduated from high school (actually école secondaire). She was a popular student so she invited many of her friends to come to our house for a quick pre-prom get together.
We provide a few amuse-gueules and took a few pictures. They were all so beautiful and handsome. Most parents drove their graduates here so we invited all of them to stick around. We knew most of them but also got to meet new ones. [After the kids left for their night,] we had some food nibbles left over and we got to meet many people that we sort of knew but got to know them better. We actually had a good time.
Eventually, the kids all came back, high on the experience of graduating, and the party continued with them and their parents. Actually, the kids sort of kicked it up a notch. I can’t remember when we went to bed. It was a great evening. Every now and then, we meet some of those parents who are not close friends, but they keep reminding us of that that party. It’s called community. – Réjean Grenier, Subdbury, Ont.
Kids (and their parents) across Canada are preparing for their proms.Maya Nguyen/The Globe and Mail
There and back again: I went to Etobicoke School of the Arts – one guy for every seven girls. We went to a big afterparty after our prom hosted by last year’s graduates at a U of T frat house. We all left that after party to go directly back to school at 9 a.m. to sign yearbooks. That was 2005. It was epic. Our high school allowed people to be themselves, celebrate us all, and have a great time doing it. – A.T., North Vancouver
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Colour-coding: It was 1978 and I was in grade 13. My very sweet date called me the weekend before to ask the colour of the dress so he could buy an appropriately coloured corsage. I was making a yellow dress and he called just as I had ripped out 18 seams sewn in error. I was on the verge of tears. When he asked what I would wear if I didn’t finish the dress, I told him I would wear the one I had made for the grade 12 prom (or “formal,” the term we used in those days). That dress was a pale orange. The good news is that I managed to finish the dress on time. When he picked me up and presented the corsage, it was a pale yellow with orange tips. It complemented my dress beautifully and would have been just as perfect with my grade 12 version. I suspect he consulted his mom and was thrilled with the thoughtfulness. It was a wonderful evening. – Mary Foley Donnelly, Ottawa
Dance the night away: Near the end of the night, many of the friends I had arrived with (as well as my date) had gone off to the after party. I was waiting for my ride to finish up so we could join them. While waiting, I danced to an upbeat song with a friend of mine that didn’t overlap with my other circle of friends. The group you arrive with can come with loads of pressure – especially as a guy, making your date’s night perfect feels like an impossible and vital task. Dancing with someone with no expectations, just two friends dancing for fun, ended up being the one carefree moment of the night. – Ryan Goldie, Ottawa
