Senior Spring is building momentum: After the traditional burning of college rejection letters, known as Incendium, on April 5, here comes the season of Choate’s version of “Promposals”: Last Hurrah and Garden Party proposals. Last Hurrah dance lessons have already begun, and the clock is ticking for the seniors to follow through with their elaborate ploys to make both sentimental and memorable proposals for Last Hurrah.
This well-known senior tradition takes place as the spring term draws to a close, usually around mid-May. On the night of Last Hurrah, seniors take part in a formal dinner and a night-long afterparty with dancing and dancing competitions in between. And while this night may be a much-anticipated night for many seniors, getting asked to Last Hurrah requires even more patience.
Similarly, Garden Party, the annual spring term celebration of senior girls as their graduation draws near, brings a near-equal amount of enthusiasm for proposals. Over the years, seniors have been asked to these events in the form of mariachi bands, News articles, song, and dance. Typically for Garden Party, senior girls ask their junior counterparts, as sixth-form girls are no longer allowed to ask faculty members as their “dates.”
Mint Sethbhakdi ’18 specifically remembered a Last Hurrah proposal that stuck with her. “So, one year, there was this guy who had a really big crush on this girl. Unfortunately, I don’t think she was really interested. But during one School Meeting, he hired a band to play music and he also had confetti. Then, he went upstage and asked her to Last Hurrah, and she said yes, and then everyone was freaking out because it was at school meeting and everything. The day afterwards, or a couple of days after, she told him no because she was waiting for this other guy to ask her because she’d rather go with that guy!”
In the past few weeks, Eben Cook ’18 asked Nina Hastings ’18 to Last Hurrah by singing “Rhythm of Love,” by the Plain White Ts. Tristan Jamidar ’18 asked Stewart Egan ’18 to Last Hurrah with the help of an ice-cream cake. To Eben’s well-thought out Hurrah-posal, Alli Opuszynski ’20 responded, “It was so cute. There was a lot of effort put into it, and I really appreciate it.”
Earlier in the year, one might recall Sebi Barquin Sanchez’s ’18 iconic proposal to Izzy Steiner ’18 at the Deerfield Pep Rally and Shamari Harrington ’18 being asked by Jeremy Lucien ’18 through his dancing of the Temptations’ “My Girl.”
Jack O’Donnell ’17 asked Elena Levin ’17 by writing an article in an issue of The Choate News.
