With Prom less than a month away, seniors are getting ready for the one of the biggest nights of the year.
The dance will be held in the Grand and Urban Ballrooms at the Omni William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh on May 3. This year’s venue will be different from last year’s at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
“When the planning started, NASH unfortunately was informed that they have been double-booked by another local high school, Pine-Richland, meaning we would both have Prom at the same time and in same place,” Senior Class Co-Sponsor Mrs. Perry said. “This created several challenges that would have impacted both Prom-goers and chaperones.”
Perry knows that planning for an event as important as Prom takes a lot of work.
“The process typically starts over a year in advance of the event,” she said. “I work closely with an event coordinator to review and select the best possible dates that align with seniors’ availability and the North Allegheny Activities Calendar. This coordination also takes into account the venue’s availability to secure the date early on.”
Perry’s colleague Mr. Solenday is the other Senior Class Co-Sponsor.
“The attention to detail by my partner, Mrs. Perry, is unbelievable,” Solenday told The Uproar. “We truly want the kids to have the best experience possible, so we try to make the process as seamless as possible. The biggest things that students can do to help the process is to get their dance agreements in to myschooldance.com, have their electronic tickets ready when they arrive to Prom, and be on time and have fun.”
In addition to the change in venue this year, ticket prices have increased by $10.
“The increase in ticket prices is largely due to the rise in costs across many sectors, a trend that has been felt by households and businesses alike since COVID,” Perry said.
Ticket revenues, Perry explained, are used to provide dance attendees with an all-you-can-eat buffet, cover the cost of the venue, and pay for the DJ, photo booth, security, chaperones, and additional entertainment.
“Being part of these senior traditions and getting to know as many seniors as possible is incredibly rewarding,” Perry said about her 15-year tenure as a Senior Class Sponsor. “It’s a special opportunity to stay involved with the class right up until the moment the graduation caps are tossed into the air. There’s something truly magical about being there for that moment, and it motivates me to continue helping and supporting the seniors every year.”
While Prom will run from 7:00pm to 11:00pm on May 3rd at the Omni William Penn, the festivities will continue at 11:30pm back at NASH.
Post Prom will be held immediately following Prom, and students who attended last year are looking forward to returning.
“It honestly was a great time,” senior Eli Schoedel said. “I had a lot of fun.”
Post Prom features a wide assortment of entertainment, including casino tables, karaoke stages, photo booths, bounce houses, music, movies, food, and a hypnotist performance late into the night.
For Solenday, next month’s dance is one of the highlights of the year.
“Prom is one of those timeless activities,” he said. “The styles obviously change from year to year, but when the kids are all dressed up, it is easier for me to see that they are not all that different from when I first started teaching in the 1990s.”
Ticket sales for Prom continue this week both in person and online. All ticket sales end at 3:00pm on Friday. Follow @nashseniorclass on Instagram for all updates. For Post Prom news, follow @napostprom2025.
