A high school in Illinois has taken all the stress out of prom season … by using a lottery system to assign prom dates. Yep, students at Aquin High School in Freeport, Illinois, follow a tradition started in 1926 where all junior and senior boys draw random names in the library while the girls wait in the gym. The guys then apparently put on some kind of "prom-posal" skit. Everyone has a date. No one feels left out. And it seems the kids really like the system.
One school advisor explains, "I think most people are in disbelief and a lot of people say they would hate it, but I think after they kind of hear the rest of the story and hear what goes into it, I think a lot of people are actually intrigued by it. It's less of a date and more like something fun to do with your classmates."
In a recent interview with a local news source, senior Korey Korosec, explained, “It doesn’t leave anybody out. Everyone’s welcome to join, and no one’s not going to have a date.”
My first thought was, this is no good. What if you have a boyfriend or girlfriend? You can't take your guy/girl to the prom? But THEN when I realized that it was a 90 year old tradition, and the students really get into it as a way for all the kids to enjoy the night, I started to change my mind.
And now that I think about it, my prom kinda sucked. I never had a boyfriend in high school, but my best friend ALWAYS had boyfriends. She was single just before prom, so we decided we'd go together as lady-dates. I was excited. BUT THEN, at the last minute, she found a guy. He was in college and had a car. I was SO upset because I'd spent money (that I didn't really have) on a dress and it looked like I was about to get ditched.
What actually happened was way worse than being abandoned. I WISH I'd been abandoned. My friend invited me to go WITH her and her new boyfriend. I rode in the back seat of his car with them, and then basically played third wheel while they made out and danced inappropriately all night...and then they left without me (I'm sure he just wanted to help her study for her Algebra exam and then get to bed early), and I had to find another ride home. It was SUPER fun, you guys.
This 'lottery prom' would have been a preferable alternative to getting ditched so my BFF could get handsy with some guy.
(Cosmo)