Every flower, balloon and song is planned to perfection when it comes to GHS’s Prom dance. One year has been spent getting Prom ready so it can be one of the most memorable nights of students’ lives.
“The librarian has always been in charge of planning Prom at Gretna High School,” Kari Bulgrin said. “So when I interviewed for the job, they said that the librarian’s job also includes planning prom.”
Bulgrin has been organizing Prom for 16 years. When she first started, the dance also included a dinner. The dinner alone would cost $20,000. They also included a sophomore server dance where students voted the most popular sophomores. They had to come up with a dance and then perform it before the Prom. After they performed their routine they then had to serve soft drinks to all of the juniors and seniors.
“We have to make sure all the decor is ready, and that we are getting the correct things to fit the theme and make the SAC Museum look amazing,” senior Riley Rohrich said. “We also have to design the invitations and send them out to all juniors and seniors.”
At GHS, there is a Prom committee that consists of only two seniors. They have meetings to plan the dance and vote on the theme, the layout and decorations. Then on the day of the Prom, the committee helps set up the venue and makes sure that everything runs smoothly.
“We are working with Gretna East since it is a joint Prom,” senior Libby Turpen said. “There are so many opinions and ideas coming from kids who have never even been to Prom.”
With the joint Prom, it can be stressful with the amount of students attending and all of the different options that can be chosen for every little detail. The main concept of preparing Prom is the theme, which was found in “Anderson’s Prom Book.” The theme for this year is based on the movie “Tangled,” therefore lots of pink and purple centerpieces and balloons are to be expected.
“The hardest part is choosing the actual decor or where things should be,” Rohrich said. “This is the hardest because we want to make sure everything looks cohesive and fits the theme, and there are always such good ideas so it is hard sometimes to choose the best.”
Endless amounts of hours go into arranging Prom. A year before the dance, Bulgrin picks the venue, the date and hires a DJ. Then throughout the year, different things need to be done like contacting the florist, picking colors and a theme, snacks, drinks and many other minor details.
“There is just a lot,” Bulgrin said. “Mr. [Todd] Mueller and the athletic director (Matthew Curtis) always help with whatever I need help with. They are awesome. Then teachers just sign up and they get free pizza afterward. They like to go and see everyone dressed up.”
The 2025 Prom will be at CHI Health Center in Omaha and only host GHS students. Gretna East will plan and hold their own dance next spring. This year’s Prom is on Saturday, Apr. 6 at 6:30. Students must purchase tickets ahead of time in order to attend.
“I think it will be fun to have it be combined,” Bulgrin said. “Everybody can see each other and the theme is based on the “Tangled” movie, so the colors are pink and purple and it will be really pretty.”
There has been lots of hard work and dedication put into this year’s Prom between Bulgrin, the Prom committee and teachers who are willing to help. Prom is one of the major milestones in life that marks the beginning of their journey.
