Bishop Kenny High School hosted prom for juniors and seniors, and it was held near the entrance of the Jacksonville Zoo or right next to the gift shop on Friday, March 27. Students arrived at 9:00 and stayed until 11:00 p.m.
The venue was the brand new facility that, according to the Jacksonville Zoo’s official website, opened on March 6, and includes a brand new entrance and a manatee exhibit.
“[It’s] a $72 million transformational project, encompassing both the Manatee River Habitat and the VyStar SkyScape Entrance, designed to make a lasting impact—for manatees and for people,” according to jacksonvillezoo.org.
Upon arrival, students were greeted with music and a bright red and black “Crusader” digital banner behind the dance floor.
Students soon realized that this night’s theme was “Casino.” Decorations consisted of “card bouquets,” and there was a separate area to play games, like Uno or Monopoly. There was also a small buffet with food consisting of things like grilled cheese sandwiches and soup, donuts and more.
Throughout the night, students spent time dancing, eating, playing card games, taking pictures and even watching manatees as they swam by.
Towards the end of the dance, the prom king and queen were announced. Nominees included Michael Schwinn, Tommy Taylor and Jacob Valenzuela for king, and Kinley Bottenfield, Lindy Jakab and Hannah Riederer for queen. In the end, Jacob Valenzuela and Hannah Riederer were crowned as winners.
