Midnight Garden, Northeast High School in Anne Arundel County

At Northeast High School in Anne Arundel County, this year’s prom featured ax-throwing, a pretzel wall with a nacho cheese fountain, an escape room, a mechanical pig, a s’mores bar and cotton candy with lighted sticks.

Senior Ellie Hermann, the class vice president, said organizers wanted to make sure the April 30 event had something for everyone.

Hermann who helped plan the prom along with other class officers and parents, said this year’s event is a little different because it was sponsored by the community, not the school, due to fundraising constraints earlier this school year.

The class officers and parents raised money through a bingo fundraiser, and then started planning the prom, figuring out what they could afford, calculating ticket prices and booking entertainment.

“We had the ability to poll students to figure out what everyone wanted,” Hermann said. “We tried to plan a prom we thought everyone would enjoy.”

She said there wasn’t much interest in a sit-down meal for the event, so organizers opted for food you can eat while walking around, like chicken tenders or a taco-ina-bag.

The event was held at the Maryland Yacht Club in Pasadena, and much of it was outside, Hermann said.

Hermann held a prom dress drive, dubbed the Pasadena Princess Project, for the third year in a row this spring. The drive was already in motion in 2020 when the pandemic hit, and they continued it in 2021 for private proms.

“We left high school sophomore year, and it hasn’t completely gone back to normal,” she said. “Prom is that one really big normal thing that is finally returning.”