The ravenous roar of laughter and dancing slowly simmered down as students in gowns and tuxes crammed onto the already-crowded dance floor, hoping to get a glance of the Prom Court nominees lined up on the stage. The deep orange floor lights cast shadows on the enormous crowd as they shifted restlessly, anticipating the long-awaited announcement of who would be named Prom King and Queen.

Associate Principal Nicole Chandler read out the list of the nominees, which included seniors Canyon Evanson, Mitchell Krause, Blake Nicks, Collin Rock, and Doyle Waller for Prom King, and seniors Melanie Anderson, Emily Blanco, Taylor Ellison, Jenna Grant, and Emma Ham for Prom Queen. The crowd cheered loudly after each name, but ultimately, there could only be two.

Finally, the court was announced: Taylor Ellison was named Prom Queen, and Doyle Waller took the crown for Prom King.

“It feels great,” Waller said. “It’s nice to know that a lot of the seniors appreciate and respect me. It just feels great. I can’t describe it.”

That night was a culmination of four years at Cy Ranch, and it showed the impact this year’s Prom Court made on the student body.

“It means that I have touched a lot of people’s hearts in some way,” Waller said. “It’s a wonderful feeling to know that everybody loves me for who I am.”

Likewise, Ellison’s win means a lot to her.

“It means people have seen me for who I am these four years,” she said. “They notice my friendliness, and my peers like me. It’s a good feeling to know that other people see the good stuff in you.”

After the Prom Court was crowned, the two took to the dance floor for an nontraditional first dance, set to the tune of a fast-paced song.

“Everyone thinks it’s supposed to be a slow song, but they played this fast song and Doyle and I just started going into it,” Ellison said. “It was so much fun. I didn’t even feel like other people were watching.”

Both Ellison and Waller are grateful to their classmates for voting for them, and they will both take this memory with them as they leave the halls of Cy Ranch in a few short weeks.

“It was a great end [to my senior year],” Waller said. “But it’s not over yet. I still have to graduate!”