Glorified by high school movies from the 80s such as Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink, “Prom King” is one of the most coveted titles in the high school social hierarchy. Nearly every high school guy wishes he could win this honorary title. In many 80s school high school movies, kingship over the prom is not based upon anything other than popularity. The prom king represents the zenith of the social pedestal in teenage movie culture. Unlike S.A.T. scores, there is no objective standard in place to help determine who gets the elusive crown, such as intelligence, grades or stellar performance of a set task. None at all; except to be singled out for, generally, being good-looking and popular. This year on Prom Night, April 29th, Jeff Meaney gained the title of Prom King not only because of his popularity, but because of his school spirit and hard work in school and extracurricular activities including Journalism and Football.
Many schools, like Walpole High School, require students to get good grades, participate in extra-curricular activities and be a well-rounded student in order to be nominated for prom royalty. To become truly “Prom King material” students need to develop their overall personality and character in an exemplary manner that makes them stand out in a crowd. The Prom King title usually goes to the most well-rounded who is good at practically everything and is a favorite of everyone. The selection process goes beyond appearances to include creativity, intellectual, and personality. In other words, many times the prom king is a senior guy teachers know and respect, so they elect him to preside over prom ceremonies.
The school has stipulated that one who does well in school and gets good grades is fit for being a king. Someone has to nominate a prospective boy for him to be up in the running for prom king, after which the nomination must be seconded. For best results, a prospective prom king has to go beyond their comfort zone, widening his social circle beyond the cheerleaders and jocks. Any male student in the Senior class that went to the prom was eligible for the nomination, even though the prom king title belongs to hard-working and well-respected Jeff Meaney.
All the pent-up excitement among high school students was finally consummated after the prom’s dinner when Meaney was summoned to the spotlight, pairing up with the Prom Queen, for the coronation. It is an oft-repeated scheme for the Prom King and Queen to give acceptance speeches, even if the crown is made of plastic. However, Meaney escaped this tradition and did not deliver a speech. Afterwards, the prom royalty was cajoled onto the dance floor for the all-important slow dance. For Meaney, the prom court experience was short-lived.
Most people don’t take the prom court too seriously; they simply see it as good fun to see who’s on it. Jeff was surprised he won, but he made an effort to give firm hand shakes and look the teachers in the eye during his entrance. Jeff was surprised that he won although he fits the build of an ideal prom king – “caring and gentle, yet masculine.” Jeff humbly said that a lot of students could have inherited the crown, as there were a good group of kids on the court, Cofsky being Jeff’s personal choice. As a token of his newly appointed royalty, he was allowed to keep the crown and scepter handed to him. Szymanski voted for Jeff three times. Needless to say, Jeff was a popular choice for Prom King and has since officially claimed his title.
