What rhymes with “bomb” and is the basis for hundreds of B-grade teen romance films? You guessed it: prom. It’s one of those magical high school events that seem to mark a turning point. The anticipation is electric and feeds into every elaborate fantasy you’ve had since first viewing Pretty in Pink or Napoleon Dynamite.

Things happen at prom. Presumably fun things, exciting things. It is a dance that holds a lot of weight in the teenage mind.

Junior Alex Kusen said that prom is “the moment when you get to be a princess for a night.” In keeping with this ideal, the prom theme for 2015 is “Once U-Prom a Time.”

As always, juniors and seniors may purchase their tickets, while sophomores and freshman can only attend prom if they are invited by an upperclassmen. Junior Maddy Valladao attended prom as a sophomore and is planning to as a junior as well. According to Valladao, “Preparing for prom as a sophomore is very stressful because none of your friends are going, so it’s scary finding people to get ready with or hang out with at the dance.” Comparing this to the junior preparation experience, she added, “As a junior, it’s stressful because everyone wants to find a date, but you don’t really need to have one.”

The search for a date, though noble, is more often than not futile. High school is not a fairy tale, and your handsome prince will probably come around in college or grad school. However, the principle of the whole shebang lasts forever. Just don’t stress over it, lest your peers deem you “date-obsessed” and “literally crazy.”

Even with all the perks of going to prom, some people still find themselves on the fence about it. Junior Fiona Lobo, who has officially decided to attend, initially was not so convinced. “I just wanted to go senior year, but my friends had the whole day planned so it looked like so much fun, I had to go,” she said.

Speaking of seniors, this night actually is important for them, being their last official high school dance and all. Senior Guntas Padda remarked, “It feels really bittersweet, because senior prom is supposed to be one of the best nights of your life, but I am definitely more excited this year because the theme is awesome!”

On April 27th, here’s hoping that the seniors really do have the best nights of their young lives. Living in a world where they constantly are forced to think about school and reality, getting lost in a fairy tale could help them to see the future in their own imaginations.