Sober at the Prom

Ah! Prom time. For many students, and particularly the girls, it’s a major event that they look forward to as they are growing up. For some, it smacks of romance and an opportunity to spend some time with a special guy. For all, it’s probably the first time they have been so dressed up. It’s their first formal occasion, and boy, does it take a lot of planning! It’s a topic of discussion throughout the senior year: what color gown will you wear? Where will you shop? What about shoes? How will you afford it? Who would you like to go with? Finally the day arrives and hairdos and makeup and nail treatments take the entire day. For the guys, it’s either a good suit or a tux, and maybe a little help from his mom to make sure he looks right. Add in a corsage and it’s off to a fancy restaurant or country club for the biggest night of their lives. Hopefully it’ll be a good experience.

But will there be liquor? Will someone start drinking before the dancing even begins and end up loud and boisterous and rude? Will someone sneak liquor into the room to share with others, knowingly or unknowingly? Will they drive their dates home and perhaps have an accident along the way?

Lake Washington High School in Seattle came up with a plan this past June to make sure that the night would not be ruined by underage drinkers. The school officials announced that every student attending the prom would be tested for alcohol consumption when they arrived at the prom. "At every dance this year, there have been issues with students drinking," said Kathryn Reith, spokeswoman for the Lake Washington School District. "The principal wanted to make sure that at the prom, there was more of a deterrent."

Redmond High School, in the same school district, has been using this policy for years. They use a “passive alcohol sensor” which lights up when someone saying “hello” into it has alcohol on his or her breath. Another option is to use test strips that analyze a person's saliva and show whether alcohol is present.

It’s a big night for the high school seniors, and it’s time that everyone realized that alcohol isn’t necessary in order to have a great time. No doubt more high schools will follow this example next prom season.