Fascinating Photos of High School Junior Prom in the Late 1950s

Every year during the month of June excited high school students prepare for “the” social event of the year - the annual high school prom. The prom is a formal dance that marks the end of a school year. Although schools may have proms for each year’s class, the senior prom is the biggest of all. For graduating seniors, it commemorates their last year of high school.

Many students spend a lot of time, money and effort in planning for the evening’s event. In past years, the prom was more of a couple’s event. A boy would ask a girl to be his date, and he would escort her to the prom. This meant buying the girl a flower (a corsage) to wear at the dance and picking her up at her home. It also meant meeting the parents and having lots of pictures taken!

Today’s proms have less emphasis on couples. Many students go with a date, but many also go with a friend, in groups of friends or even alone (stag). Whether you have a date or not, the evening is full of laughter and tears of joy.

These fascinating photos from Sheila K. Helser that show junior prom of Mt. Vernon High School, Ohio around 1958 and 1959.