As the prom season inches closer, student’s thoughts are beginning to shift  towards prom related topics, specifically  this years theme. In the past, themes ranging anywhere from under the stars to a night in Paris had allowed for all the glamour that made for a memorable night, but often tended to lack any sense of originality. Fortunately for juniors and seniors, JAB seemed to have broken this tradition by announcing Great Gatsby as this year’s prom theme.

 Not only have students shown their support for this theme by voting for it in a landslide victory, but also by taking their part in creating the theme to a whole new level. Abandoning the sleek gown look that had previously characterized the classic prom dress, students have turned back the clock and started looking at Great Gatsby era prom dresses.

 Among the first to jump aboard the twenties dress idea, was senior Taylor Tattersall. Despite not actually voting for the theme herself, she was more than happy with the outcome and has already started looking for a dress to fit the theme.

 “I want to wear pearls and a headpiece and gloves,” said Tattersall. “I just want to go all out.”

 In order to find a dress that both fits her style and the style of the twenties, Tattersall abandoned the overcrowded malls in favor of online boutiques.

 While she was excited to be able to dress up herself, Tattersall hopes that she will not be alone in her decision come prom night.

“I just hope more people dress up,” said Tattersall.

 Although so far JAB has been tight lipped regarding how they are planning to incorporate the Great Gatsby theme into the event’s decorations,  JAB sponsor, Monique Howe-Freeman, let slip a few details on how students could better dress to fit the theme.

 “Its going to be glamour,” said Howe-Freeman. “Thats what we are taking away. It will be classy glam. There will be no gambling and no flappers.”

 Along with this, she also stated that the colors for the theme will focus around silver, gold, and black. This way, the prom will display the major colors associated with the time period while giving an added bonus to seniors by incorporating their class’s color, black, into the decorations.

 However, despite all the focus being given to students taking a role in the Gatsby theme, Howe-Freeman claimed the decision to put Great Gatsby on the ballot likely had little to do with it.

 Instead, she credited the idea to the fact that a majority of the students on JAB were reading Great Gatsby for their English class at the time they had been brainstorming themes. She also believed the popular Great Gatsby movie, which was released this past summer, probably had a good deal of influence on the decision as well.

 Despite the fact that the idea of dressing to fit the theme was unintentional, JAB still hopes that the idea will take off.

 “ I would love it,” said Howe-Freeman. “I would love if kids actually did that.”