In previous years, Starlight Theatre has been the location for BVNW prom. However, Starlight’s lease was up this year. Junior and student government historian Grace Fugate said the Blue Valley School District administration made each high school pick a new prom location within Overland Park. This year, prom will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel at 10100 College Blvd.

“[Student Government was] given three options, and the [Hilton] DoubleTree was what was most appealing to us,” Fugate said.

Despite the DoubleTree Hotel being 3.5 miles from BVNW, Fugate said StuGo is working hard to make up for students being disappointed by the new location.

“We’re trying to get hula dancers to come [to prom] and we’re having a steel drummer at the entryway when people walk in,” Fugate said. “We’re really excited and since we’ve saved up a lot of money from the past two years, we have a bigger budget than usual. We’re really trying to make the gap from [the prom venue] being from Starlight to DoubleTree.”

Senior Madeline Kane said she went to prom her sophomore and junior year at Starlight and wishes there was no venue change.

“It’s really beautiful [at Starlight] and it’s out in Missouri,” Kane said. “And then they changed [prom] to a gross hotel in busy Kansas.”

Senior Blair Meegan said she is hopeful for the new prom venue change despite initially being disappointed when she heard the news that prom will not be held at Starlight.

“I was kind of disappointed just because I really liked the Starlight venue and I didn’t think there were any problems with it,” Meegan said. “Since this is our first time doing it at the DoubleTree, it’s highly possible that there could be some problems but I think it will still be good.”

Kane said the close proximity between the school to the hotel will not make her senior prom as special as last year’s senior class prom.

“Having [prom] at a hotel right across from people’s houses makes it feel not special in a way because it’s just like five feet from where I live everyday, so what’s new with that? And that’s why I’m frustrated with [prom],” Kane said.

Fugate said while some might not think a hotel is the ideal location for prom, the space works well and the dance will not feel like it is in a hotel.

“Once you accept it, it’s really easy to get excited about it and promote it where as like the people who hasn’t really seen it yet are like ‘Oh. The DoubleTree Hotel. That’s five minutes away from my house,’ ” Fugate said. “I think once people accept it and show up, they’re gonna make the best out of it. It’s not as bad as people make it out to be.”