Every year around early April, senior girls begin the countdown to one of the most anticipated events of their high school experiences—prom. This year, the CHS senior girls are continuing the tradition with a new twist by forming a Facebook group dedicated to sharing their prom dresses.

Originally the group was used as a forum for designing the senior girls’ t-shirt to be worn on the first day of school. The prom dress group was created by several students, including senior Danielle Chikkaswamy.

“The Facebook group helps seniors get options from their fellow classmates and show people what they are going to be wearing for the evening,” Chikkaswamy said. “It’s nice to compare and get help from your classmates whether a dress is hot or not.”

In schools across the nation, girls have created “prom dress groups” on Facebook in an effort to avoid the misfortune of wearing the same dress as somebody else.

“I know I’d be either embarrassed or uncomfortable if I wore the same dress as another person,” senior Chani Wereley said.

In contrast to the usual female high school senior stereotype, the girls in the CHS prom dress group have been complimentary to one another, and helpful in making decisions regarding dress options.

“Everyone has such different tastes and styles that I feel like people got their dresses to be beautiful for them,” Wereley said.

Although some senior girls feel as though seeing everyone’s dresses before the night of prom ruins part of the overall excitement of the night, many feel as though the group is more beneficial than harmful.

“I think it helps senior girls prepare for prom by reminding them that it’s coming sooner than we think,” senior Sara Ewel said. “I would have never gotten my dress this early if I hadn’t known everyone else was getting theirs.”

Others argue that the group can spark unnecessary competition among students in terms of what dresses they decide to purchase for prom.

“I think the group makes some people a bit more competitive since a lot of girls take prom really seriously,” senior Carly Gertler said.

Despite the downsides to having a Facebook group dedicated to prom dresses, most senior girls feel as though the existence of the group is just the beginning of a new tradition devoted to making prom as memorable as possible.

“Prom is supposed to be a special night, and this is one compromise that will help make the night go as smoothly as possible,” Ewel said.