There’s a moment in every senior’s life when they realize that they are close to graduating high school and crossing that big stage to earn their diploma. That moment, for many at Norristown Area High School, was the annual Senior Banquet, which took place last Friday evening at Westover Country Club. So many that night had their own dreams about the moment of moving onto the next stages in their lives, but the banquet was a time for these seniors to celebrate how far they’ve come since it all started.

The night began with all the seniors entering Westover’s main room and getting checked in. Most shuffled in, finding their tables and talking with friends. Each senior looked dashing with their outfits and glamorous hair. Some of the seniors even leaned into the theme of the Roaring 20’s, dressing in dapper suits and flapper dresses.

The banquet room was well decorated, from the fancy white table clothes to the 2020 balloons in the middle of the dance floor. The menu was equally exquisite. All of the guests started off with a salad and then were served either chicken parmesan, beef with broccoli, or veggie pasta. While the guest indulged, a slideshow was presented that consists of memories of their senior year so far, featuring pictures, videos, Snapchat photos, and even TikTok.

The amount of laughter that filled up the room was heartwarming. Being there, you could tell these students have been through a lot together. Even though there was a lot of laughter, there were still those students who groaned in embarrassment once they saw themselves on the screen. This slideshow was about 10 minutes long, but no one stopped cheering until the very end.

Throughout the night, the seniors got the chance to take save memories in photos. A photo booth was set up at the banquet where the students could take funny or nice photos to the roaring 20’s theme to remember the night. Props from money bags to fake chains made the pictures even better. After spending some of their time taking those silly photos, there were many student photographers going around capturing those memories. “The banquet was better than I expected it to be, it’s amazing,” senior, Bryce Allen, mentioned happily. 

After pictures, roughly 20-25 mock awards were presented to over 50 students. The beautifully dressed Adriana Wright, Aleshia Cofield, and Lisbeth Sanchez-Andrade presented students with many awards from a variety of student-selected categories,  ranging from Class Clown to Cutest Couple That Never Was. Among many people who won awards, Allen and Adriana Wright won The Cutest Couple that Never Was. “I felt great honestly it felt good to be nominated for something I didn’t expect to be nominated for,” said Allen.

Daniel Sanchez, who won the Best Transformation, stated, “I felt so great knowing my change was recognized. I’m so grateful for this amazing award.” Sanchez said he was confident he was going to win this award.

Bryan Jimenez won Best Dress in the male category. “I be dressing,” he said proudly, and he wasn’t wrong. Everyone certainly had their own style and went off at this year’s banquet. Shane Byrd took home the most mock awards, winning Life of the Party, Class Clown, School Spirit, and Best Laugh. 

While the mock awards were handed to the winners, fellow classmates cheered them on with applause and the joyful energy.

After the mock awards were all handed out, the class of 2020 officially got the night started on the dance floor. The DJ began with some throwbacks, and when everyone was on the dance floor, you could feel the energy floating in the room. At that moment in time, nobody was worrying about how they looked; they were just having the time of their lives. Seniors were gathered in circles all around the dance floor singing, dancing, and capturing moments that they will remember forever. 

“Being able to dance with the people I’ve known since I was little, it feels great to be at this point in my life,” said Allen. 

At this moment on the dance floor, the world belonged to the Class of 2020.  “I felt like nothing mattered that night, dancing the night away with lots of confidence to slay,” said Nakisha Lao.

So many Seniors were celebrating their accomplishments and having a blast at this year’s Senior Banquet. Allen best summarized the experience: “The banquet is really bringing this storybook ending to the high school year that I know not just I have envisioned.”