Hoggard senior can’t take freshman girlfriend to prom

WILMINGTON — It’s springtime and for local high school students that means prom time. One local teen says he’s not going and school administrators are to blame.

A local mom says her son’s date is being left out.

Laurie Malter loves the photo of her son in a tuxedo. Now that he’s a senior at Hoggard High School she’s looking forward to seeing him in a tux at his senior prom. The problem is 17-year-old Marty won’t go unless his girlfriend goes too.

Mrs. Malter said, “He is really upset because you are only a senior once, and the two of them have been really excited and talking about colors for months.”

Marty’s girlfriend is 14-year-old Alana. He wants more than anything to for Alana to be his date to the prom. Only problem: she’s a freshman.

“Hoggard has a sheet of paper to be filled out. For any invited guests by the seniors, and he got the sheet, gave it to his girlfriend, that she had filled out at her school, came back to buy her ticket and was told freshman are not allowed to attend,” Mrs. Malter said.

Hoggard’s rules state that freshman are not allowed, even if invited by a junior or senior.
That wasn’t the case down the street at New Hanover High where juniors and seniors brought guests to last weekend’s prom — regardless of their grade. And Mrs. Malter wants to know why isn’t it OK at Hoggard?

“It’s not going to be the same if Marty doesn’t get to go to the prom,” she said.

Marty said, “My mom really wants pictures, so I was going to rent a tux and Alanna was going to rent a dress. We were going to take some pictures and go out and do some stuff that night.”

Hoggard Principal Dave Spencer says prom is supposed to be a special occasion, one that upperclassman earn.

He says freshman will get their chance when they are sophomores, juniors or seniors.

It looks like Alanna and Marty will go through the motions like they will be attending the prom: the dress, tux and pictures. But they won’t be at the prom celebrating with their friends.