Physical tickets, controversial music, and students leaving early. That’s a snapshot of Salina Central’s 2025 Prom.

“Don’t get me wrong, prom was well organized,” junior Jake Schmitz said. “Ms. Eades and everyone did a great job, but everyone was on their phone the whole time.”

Senior Madelyn Craft, who was crowned Prom Queen, said the songs were lackluster.

“I just need some more hype songs, you know?” Craft said. “The only song everybody got into was the Cupid Shuffle. People just stood there a lot.”

Junior StuCo (Student Council) officer Josie Ebel said that StuCo was not exactly in 

control of the music.

“The DJ is in charge,” Ebel said. “We did have people who were against it, but you can’t expect the DJ to play your favorite songs. They can’t just only play one artist or type of music. They need to play a variety of music so everyone can enjoy it.”

Schmitz said shortly after the crowning many people left.

“Ten minutes into the actual dance part, I went to the bathroom, I came back, and half of everyone was gone,” Schmitz said. “Apparently they all got a text that there was gonna be a house party, so they all just left.”

StuCo sponsor Lexie Ellerbeck said that the students who stayed had a good time.

“The kids who did stay were just having a blast,” Ellerbeck said. “Just seeing them have fun was definitely a highlight for me.”

StuCo sponsor Michael Broome said his favorite part of the night was when one of his special education students went into the dance circle.

“The students hyped him up,” Broome said. “That was top tier, he was so excited. He went back out there to dance for like, another 45 minutes. He said, ‘Broome, I had a great time. I got to dance in the circle and everybody was cheering for me.’”

Broome said he also enjoyed seeing everyone dressed up.

“I’m seeing everyone, you know, that kid who comes in pajama pants, he comes out in a three piece suit,” Broome said. “Like oh, boy you are sharp. It did my heart some good when people wanted to talk to me and wanted to take pictures. It was cool.”

Craft also sported a blue suit. She was the first Prom Queen to do so.

“I’m making history here,” Craft said. “I changed into jeans right after, and nobody could tell me I couldn’t do that because I had just won prom queen. Who’s going to tell me I can’t wear jeans?”

StuCo also increased the ticket prices this year from $35 to $45.

Ellerbeck said the reason for this increase was because of changes in catering.

“Last year, the country club had a conflict and couldn’t cater prom, so we brought in Martinelli’s, which was slightly cheaper,” Ellerbeck said. “This year, the country club catering was available—and if it is, they have to cater, which made it quite a bit more expensive. With that increased cost, they had to raise ticket prices a little bit.”

Schmitz said he did not like the price, but he understood the reason behind it.

“I mean, the tickets were expensive, but it’s prom,” Schmitz said. “They were going to be expensive, and I got to go to after prom for free. I got to hang out with my friends and get food.”

The price wasn’t the only thing that changed about the tickets- Central required physical tickets for prom this year.

Ebel said this was because of previous issues with people sneaking in.

“We didn’t have to worry about other people coming into the dance who didn’t have a ticket, which I know they had some problems with the previous years,” Ebel said. “It just made it much more organized and fun overall.”

Craft said the physical tickets were a big improvement.

“I know people like to keep those things,” Craft said. “It was also so much easier. You walk in, put your ticket in the basket, and that’s all. Last year when we had to go up and say our names and it was such a long process. We had lines out the door for, like, 30 minutes.”

Ellerbeck said physical tickets may be used for future dances as well.

“From the detail side, prom was a lot more put together this year,” Ellerbeck said. “Things were a little bumpy last year, but we learned from our mistakes and this year was a lot better.”

Ebel said she was overall happy about how this year’s prom turned out.

“From the planning side of it, I got to plan it all, and I knew what it was going to look like,” Ebel said. “But then when I got to the actual dance itself, seeing everything that we had envisioned come together, that was pretty cool.