After a salmonella outbreak at the Chik-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, Chamblee Student Government Association (SGA) has decided to move the 2019 prom venue to an iconic Atlanta landmark: the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
“We chose the airport as our new location because it’s such an iconic part of Atlanta,” said SGA prom committee head and junior Taysom Hibbert. “You hear about proms being held at places like the Fernbank Museum or the Home Depot HQ, but never an airport. That’s what makes it so unique.”
For other SGA members, the airport has some sentimental value to it, making the idea of a prom being held there all the more impactful.
“Everytime I’m [at the airport], I think about sitting on one of those moving baggage claims and just leaving everything behind,” said senior Bethanie Pachenko. “Like, where’s it going to take me? What’s inside that tunnel? Will I ever see my family again?”
The Atlanta Airport was not the only idea that was originally brought to the table.
“We actually had some other ideas for our prom venue. We first wanted to do it at Dandy Donuts, but then it turns out that some people are allergic,” said Hibbert. “Then someone was like, ‘Oh, what about the Whole Foods parking lot,’ and I was like, ‘Solid idea,’ but then it turns out that their gelato is like four dollars? I mean, that’s just too much. […] Anyway, Bethanie finally suggested the airport, so we just went with that.”
With a change of venue, however, comes a change of theme.
“I thought the prom theme this year should’ve been ‘Claim Your Baggage,’” said Pachenko. “Like, what kind of baggage? Is it one of those rollable trunks with the wheels? Or one of those leopard-print bags? Maybe it’s more of a metaphor, like emotional baggage. […] I really think that theme would be good, especially if sitting on the baggage claim is an option.”
Yet for a while, the prom theme was heavily debated by the student body. Pachenko’s vision was immediately challenged by sophomore Lakelynn Bastian, who is also the daughter of Delta’s CEO.
“My idea for the new prom theme was ‘Fight or Flight,’” said Bastian. “I’m not even in SGA, and I’m not going to prom, but what I’m saying needs to be heard. My theme is a metaphor for, if you think an airport prom is a bad idea, I’ll literally come fight you. In person.”
To avoid controversy, SGA decided on a more neutral and unassuming theme.
“We finally decided that this year’s theme should be ‘Planes with Brains,’ after the hit 2018 feature film Planes with Brains,” said Hibbert. “It’s not the Disney movie Planes, it’s the weird knockoff version where the yellow plane has really long eyelashes.”
A number of airport employees have agreed to help Chamblee with their prom, one of which being TSA officer Kyler Logurt.
“If you told me that I would be chaperoning for a high school prom as part of my job, I would’ve quit months ago,” Logurt said.
Delta Air Lines has also offered to provide the prom’s concessions.
“Oh, you know, it’s the usual,” said Delta flight attendant Blanche Mccormick. “[We’re offering] all of our complimentary snacks: peanuts, biscoff cookies, trail mix– plus a selection of Coca-Cola and Starbucks products.”
Despite the SGA’s enthusiasm, some of Chamblee’s students have voiced concerns pertaining to the change of plan.
“I’m just saying, the one time I’ve been to the Atlanta airport, I got so lost,” said junior Jorvik Reynolds. “I was supposed to go to Gate C or something, but I ended up getting separated from my family during security. […] It took three days and 12 police officers to reunite with them.”
Some students were also worried that the organizational structure of the airport might make it difficult to have a good time.
“I really just want to sit on the baggage claim,” said Pachenko. “Like, what’s the point of an airport prom if I can’t sit on the baggage claim? I would just leave.”
Despite concerns, Atlanta Airlines Terminal Corporation CEO Kofi Smith encourages students to attend the 2019 prom.
“An airport prom is just kind of poetic, don’t you think?” said Smith. “Just imagine. You’re slow dancing with your date. The gentle roar of a plane departing can be heard in the distance. A middle-aged woman is leaving one of those concourse storefronts, and she’s visibly disgusted because she just spent 10 dollars on a banana. Somewhere, a TSA officer is making someone feel really, really bad for forgetting to take off their shoes. […] It’s just so representative of Atlanta as a city, and it’s the perfect way to say goodbye to high school.”