FREEPORT, Ill. — Finding a prom date at one school in Illinois involves a much different process than at most others.
At Aquin High School, juniors and seniors pick their dates with a decades-old tradition. The boys draw names of girls at random in the library, while the girls wait for them in the gym.
The boys come out of the library and perform a s kit before they reveal who their date is.
It’s a tradition, the school says, that’s about bonding with classmates.
“I think most people are in disbelief, and a lot of people say they would hate it,” said Michelle Gallagher, junior class adviser. “I’ve had a lot say ‘Oh I would hate that.’ But I think after they kind of hear the rest of the story and hear what goes into it I think a lot of people are actually intrigued by it. It’s less of a date and more like something fun to do with your classmates.”
The tradition started in 1926 to make sure all students had a date to prom.
