Current seniors Claire Johnson and Julian Hartman enjoy last year's prom. Gargoyle photos by Linda Song (click to enlarge)

The Alice Campbell Alumni Center, site of the 2007 prom, will host this year's festivities as well. (click to enlarge)

IT'S FOURTH QUARTER now, meaning a ton of exciting things are coming up. Summer is just around the corner, finals are approaching, our seniors are graduating, and best of all, prom!

Uni's annual junior/senior prom will not only uphold all the aspects that make a prom an amazing experience, but it will also feature a masquerade theme.

In fact, Uni's Prom 2008 is called "The Royal Masquerade." It will take place May 17 from 8:30 to 11:45 p.m. at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center, site of last year's prom as well. The RSVP deadline is April 25, no later than 11:59 p.m. Payment for tickets ($35 single, $55 couple) is due May 1.

Prom is always a special time in a high school student's life. For one night, students get to dress up and feel special and perfect. This year, Uni's prom committee has cranked up the volume and excitement.

The masquerade theme has created a lot of buzz among the juniors and seniors. Not only is it an innovative theme, but if a student wears a mask to prom, he or she is eligible to win an iPod Touch!

"The goal of the iPod Touch is to get people into the theme," said junior class president Isaac Chambers, a prom committee member.

Because of some cost-cutting from RSVPs and catering, there was enough money to invest in the exciting raffle prize, Chambers said.

Last year's committee spent $150 mailing prom invitations. This year, RSVPs are being done online using a Web site that Chambers created. Not only is the site a money saver, it makes it a lot easier for the committee to keep track of RSVPs.

An e-mail Chambers sent to each junior and senior provided an individual link. By visiting this site, juniors and seniors are able to RSVP and claim tickets, again reducing costs from previous years.

In 2007, catering took a good $1,500 from the prom committee's budget. This year only $400 is going to be spent renting out an industrial kitchen and paying for food supplies, allowing juniors Hannah Leskosky and Maddy Levin to cater prom for the final project of their independent study on cookery.

Included in the cost of tickets is this year's prom keepsake, boxer shorts.

Although prom committee is not in charge of post-prom (senior parents organize this), the committee has secured the date with Jillian's, a billiard's club located on South Neil Street. Last August, the committee met with Jillian's to make reservations so the job could be handed off to the senior parents.

Post-prom was at the Illini Union last year, featuring pool, DDR, cosmic bowling, free food, and TV. Jillian's will have a lot of the same activities, including movies showing all night and video games.

So juniors and seniors, check your e-mail! Claim your tickets and RSVP! Doesn't prom sound better than ever this year?

Current seniors Hannah Lake-Rayburn, Chelsea Freeland, and Michelle Gao take a break from dancing at last year's prom. Gargoyle photo by Linda Song (click to enlarge)