Red, Bright and Cool: Belmont High’s PreProm Promenade 2017 [270 Photos]

Photo: Red twirl.

Stunning prints, flowing gowns and lots of red. Traditional ties vs. the bow variety, muted-color suits and high-polished dress shoes. 

But also tights over a suit coat, jackets of all patterns and texture, and casual footwear. 

The annual Promenade that preceded the Belmont High School Senior/Junior Prom on Friday, May 19, was once again a spectacle of fancy dress wear that ranged from the classic – the black tux and Empress cut party gown – to the slightly daring (high-cut dresses) and those who took an original track on what to wear that evening.

Each couple, group or individual who crossed the Belmont High School auditorium’s stage was greeted with applause from the packed house as the students headed to Principal Dan Richards who assumed his traditional station at the stairs to assist anyone needing a hand.

[Editor: Sorry if I missed anyone in the photos. If you would like a jpg of one of the shots from this past Friday, just send an email to editor@belmontonian.com]

It’s Prom Tonight! Belmont High Promenade Begins At 4 PM-ish

Photo: How many proms can one young man attend?

Drive carefully through Belmont this afternoon as vehicles will be parked along roadways as residents haphazardly cross the street to get a good look at what’s happening.

Are people staring at the aftermath of an accident? Is a natural phenomenon occurring?

Nope, the gawking today is connected to an annual occurrence in which many teenagers are transformed from ultra casual to totally chic in Belmont’s version of “Fashion Week.”

Today is Belmont High School Senior/Junior Prom. It is also the final day of school for this year’s senior class. 

What is becoming a great annual community event will begin at approximately 4 p.m. as the students  attending the big dance will take part in the Pre-Prom Promenade, in which the high schoolers are “presented” before fawning parents, siblings, friends and the public in the Belmont High School auditorium. Get there early for the best seats.

The students will then head into the high school’s cafeteria for the “once over” by school officials before boarding buses to take them to a ritzy hotel in Newton for a night of dancing and fun.

Belmont High Senior Prom Today; Promenade Begins At 4 PM

Photo: The pre-prom promenade

Be advised to drive carefully through Belmont this afternoon as residents will be blocking the roadway with their vehicles as others haphazardly cross the street to get a good look at what’s happening.

Are people staring at the aftermath of an accident? Is a natural phenomenon about to occur which residents want a good look?

It turns out the gawking is connected to an annual occurrence in which many teens are transformed from ultra casual to totally chic, having photos taken in front yards or at Clay Pit Pond in Belmont’s version of “Fashion Week.”

That’s because Friday is Belmont High School Senior/Junior Prom.

What is becoming a great annual community event will begin at approximately 4 p.m. as the students  attending the big dance will take part in the Pre-Prom Promenade, in which the high schoolers are “presented” before fawning parents, siblings, friends and the public in the Belmont High School auditorium.

The students will then head into the cafeteria (for the “once over” by school officials) before boarding buses to take them to a ritzy hotel for a night of dancing and fun.

Tuxes and Gowns Set the Standard at Belmont High’s Promenade

Photo: Belmont High School prom.

Tuxes with bow ties, black dresses and strapless, colorful gowns were the standard for the nearly 450 students and guests attending the Belmont High School Promenade and Prom held Friday, May 15.

A massive crowd of parents, students and families filled the High School auditorium to see singles, couples and groups stride across the stage to cheers and applause.

Unlike last year, all the buses taking the students for a night of dancing and dining were waiting for the student. But the final bus did not leave until the final prom attendee, stuck in Boston traffic, got to the school a bit late, having to run to make the formal. 

Caution: Prom Crossing at Belmont High School Friday Afternoon

Photo: Last year’s prom.

The annual Great Transformation occurs this afternoon, Friday on the ides of May.

To the surprise – if not down right shock – of most adults in town, a number of Belmont High School students, who seemingly live in sports gear, sweats, and shorts no matter the weather or temperature, are altered in a Kafka-esque refiguring into sparkling figures of high fashion (tuxes and gowns of all lengths and colors with the occasional sari and kilts thrown in) and – hopefully – good taste.

Yes, it’s prom night in Belmont. 

What is becoming a great annual community event will begin at approximately 4 p.m. as the students  attending this year’s Belmont High School Senior/Junior Prom begin lining up for the Promenade, in which those high schoolers are “presented” before a frenzy of fawning parents, siblings, friends and the public in the Belmont High School auditorium.

The students will then head into the cafeteria (for the “once over” by school officials) before boarding buses to take them to some ritzy hotel for a night of dancing and having fun.

For seniors, it is the last full day of school in the Belmont school district.

By Saturday morning, the young men and women will revert to their normal state. 

AWOL: Late Buses Strand Belmont High Prom Goers In The Rain

Thirty-three students and guests who paid $120 to attend the Belmont High School Senior/Junior Prom at Boston’s Copley Westin on Friday night, May 16, were left literally standing in the rain for nearly one hour and 45 minutes after the 5 p.m. scheduled departure time when buses from Crystal Transportation of Brighton arrived late to transport ticket-holders to the event at the Westin Copley Place Boston Hotel.

“It’s annoying because we’re missing our prom and all our friends are there and we’re stuck here,” said senior Natasha Trotman as concerned staff members, on the phone with the company, waited with the frustrated students.

“I’m a little mad. It’s kind of disappointing waiting around here,” said Solomon Mankin who spent $240 for two tickets. “At least I’m with great people in the rain,” he added, pointing to his friends.

According to press releases and news accounts, the firm was recently forced to stop carrying passengers due to serious safety concerns.

In an April 1 news release, the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) revoked Crystal Transportation’s operating authority and shut-down the carrier for “disregarding federal safety regulations and putting their drivers, passengers, and the motoring public at risk.”

It is not known at this time the process used to select the company.

On Friday afternoon, the bus line did not have carriers ready at the 5 p.m. schedule departure time, reducing the time students had to enjoy their prom.

The final bus arrived at Belmont High School – where the annual Pre-Prom Promenade had taken place – nearly three-quarters of a hour after the penultimate bus had left, which itself was 60 minutes behind schedule.

Belmont High School sophomore Jack Carbeck said while he wanted to be one of the last people to travel to the prom, “everyone paid the same price … I would expect [the company] would have enough buses to get us [to the Westin] on time.”

Town Clerk Ellen Cushman, whose son, senior Liam Cushman, was one of the students on the final bus, said she felt “belittled” as a parent and town official by the actions of the bus company.

“Some action needs to take place by someone,” she added.

Many of the students who were destined to be on the final bus were at the school for nearly three hours, much of the time inside a humid, hot cafeteria after parading before parents and friends during the promenade in the high school’s auditorium.

Due to the lengthy delay, the “surviving” participants would have less than three hours to enjoy the dancing, socializing and dining that was scheduled to end around “10-ish” p.m., according to John Muldoon, Belmont High’s assistant principal, who was informed of the buses location. The final bus reportedly drove past the school before the driver called asking for directions.

Crystal Transportation describes itself on its Facebook page as a “[c]harter Bus business located in Boston, MA. Provide Shuttle services for The University of Boston, Brandeis University as well as many others.”

On March 19, the FMCSA shut the company down after it discovered the shuttles used at UMass Boston were allowed to drive before drug test results of the company’s drivers were completed and a number of the drivers tested positive for controlled substances.

Given a month to respond to the charges, the company did not provide an answer to the feds. In an interview with the Boston Globe in March, Crystal’s General Manager Kevin Sheehan said the carrier fixed the problems but missed the deadline to file its corrective action plan.

There is no information indicating when the bus line was allowed to return to carrying passengers.

A call to Crystal Transportation by the Belmontonian was not returned.