Prom?

Mayra Castro

On Thurs., May 2, during the annual Powderpuff game, Eduardo Munoz, 12 asks, his girlfriend Cynthia Villegas, 12, to prom. He surprised her during half time with the help of the boys who participated in cheer.

Mia Dixon-Slaughter, Co-Editor-in-Cheif
June 3, 2014

As the month of May begins, Downey High seniors start to plan their proposals for the most anticipated dance of the year—Prom. Senior girls are known for stressing the most over the dance, but boys are put under just as much pressure with planning their Prom proposals.

The boys often stress over unique ways for asking their dates, but also making it personal by providing them with a proposal that means something to them. Their posters can reflect their date’s favorite music, food, or movies.

Senior Mark Garcia asked his date, junior Natalie Turcios, with a Barcelona soccer themed poster, while singing The Beatles “Do You Want to Know a Secret” to serenade his Turcios.

“She loves Barca,” Garcia said, “and I’ve always wanted to play a song for a girl since I was 13 when I first learned how to play.”

Other seniors came up with unique, comical ideas to make their dates laugh, such as Chris Antonio. Antonio asked a former Downey High student, Mariana Ramirez, by making a poster mocking John Green’s famous novel: The Fault in Our Stars. The front of the poster had an illustration of the book cover but instead of a sentimental quote from the tragic novel, Antonio asked “Prom or nah?” using the saying from a popular Vine video clip.

“I made it look like the book, [The Fault in Our Stars] because I know it’s her favorite book,” Antonio said. “She was shocked and thought the poster was really funny.”

The seniors presented their prom proposals to their future dates with smiles on their faces but the process itself was nerve-wracking. The process of getting everything ready and the actual day of asking their date is more stressful than it seems.

Garcia did not feel his nerves until the day he asked Turcios to Prom.

“I was fine for the two weeks of planning it,” Garcia said, “but, on the day of, I felt like throwing up, because I held all the anxiety in for so long.”

Others like Antonio did not feel nervous, but became nervous as the asking came closer and closer. The day Antonio asked Ramirez he had a few issues but was still able to successfully ask her.

“Everything that was happening before was horrible,” Antonio said. “I locked my keys in my car and my car overheated too, but I was still able to ask her when I wanted.”

ASB, which often creates the posters for the seniors to ask their dates with, also noticed the anxiety the senior Vikings go through when they enter the ASB room with ideas for their poster. Sophomore ASB member Michael Ramirez noticed the nerves of the askers when they put in their orders for their posters.

“Some are calm and really excited and go as far to ask to put little pictures and stuff,” Ramirez said, “and some are really nervous and have no idea what they want but we just add decorations and make the poster look nice.”

The boys agreed their favorite part of asking their dates was seeing their reaction and hearing their acceptance.

“She wasn’t expecting it, so I was glad it shocked her,” Antonio said. “She really enjoyed the entire thing and that’s what made me so happy.”

The girls definitely enjoy their proposals just as much as the guys love seeing their faces. The dates are often caught off guard or by surprise during just the right moments. Garcia was able to put a smile on Turcios’ face after a long test.

“I liked that I wasn’t expecting it and it was after the CST,” Turcios said, “so it was definitely a good way to put a smile on my face after taking a long test.”

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About the Contributors

Mia Dixon-Slaughter, Co-Editor-in-Cheif

Mia Dixon-Slaughter, Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Downey Legend, stepped into the world of journalism 3 years ago as a sophomore. After a great deal of persuasion from her two best friends, who were on staff at the time, Dixon-Slaughter submitted her application at the semester and was welcomed shortly after. “I love writing and always have,” Slaughter said, “but I’ve always stuck strictly to literature so branching out into a different style and type of writing has helped me develop as a writer.” Although writing essays and covering stories can be polar opposites, the writer adjusted without much trouble. During her time at The Downey Legend, she has covered numerous stories, fiddled with the camera, and established the newspaper’s credibility on social media. She is competent enough to know what it takes to have efficient deadlines; all Slaughter has to do now is to guide her staff in that direction.

If the writer is not covering stories happening around school, she is still somehow always somewhere on campus. Juggling AP classes, an ASB position, and her role in newspaper, Slaughter often finds herself with a hectic schedule. This being said, when genuine free time presents itself, she takes full advantage of it. “I love getting lost or ending up in places spontaneously because it feels so great to not have an agenda sometimes,” Dixon-Slaughter said. While the senior is busy getting ready for college and balancing out the rest of her responsibilities, she hopes to provide the staff with an exemplary example of the amount of greatness that can rise from commitment.

Mayra Castro, Photographer

Current photographer for The Downey Legend, Mayra Castro, approaches her senior year with optimism and hopes to makes her final year memorable by never missing an opportunity to hang out with friends, while still managing her academics. Castro describes photography as her favorite art medium and, although her passion is fairly new, she is eager to gain more experience by practicing alongside the other Online Newspaper photographers. The senior decided to join the staff because she wanted a place where she could showcase her work while working with other passionate and goal oriented students. She is also considering a future in photojournalism and hopes to familiarize herself with the publication process.

Castro’s main goal for the future is to be the first in her family to go to college. The aspiring photographer feels that a college degree is a necessary component to be successful in today’s economy. When she is enrolled in school, Castro hopes to major in photojournalism and eventually have her images published in a popular magazine where thousands of people can appreciate her work. In her personal life, Castro describes herself as a simple girl with simple tastes. She appreciates the small things in life like listening to music or simply hanging out with friends at the local mall. She looks at each day from a relaxed and optimistic perspective. “The most important part of my life is being happy,” Castro said. “That's all that matters.”