Is there such a thing as Prom in Canada?

Sarah Botchick

Sarah Botchick

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Dec 10, 2008
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Berea (Near Cleveland)
www.pioneerwholesaleco.com
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To all my Canadian friends, I need help. I have heard from one source that there is not really Prom in Canada, it is called Graduation. But another source told me that there is Prom, like we have in the states. Which is correct?

And if the "party" that Americans call Prom is called Graduation in Canada, what is the actual act of one's getting a diploma and finishing high school called (what we call graduation) in Canada?

Thanks for your help!
 
Hi Sarah,
We are in Ottawa (the National Capital Region) and yes, we have Proms, and Grads. The 2 words seem to be interchangeable, although tecnically the grad is the ceremony where the graduates recieve their certificate of graduation, usually held on a school day in the gym, or cafeteria, or auditorium if the school has one.
The Prom is the celebration of the graduation, and that is when they get dressed up, attend a nice dinner, and then proceed to whatever parties they have planned.
For the life of me, I don't undertand why the Prom is held before the Grad...thus giving all the senior kids the oppportunity to attend the Prom, well before they know what the final marks are!
But here, education is a provincial thing, and within each province there are various boards which dictate all kinds of things, so it is possible that some areas would not have Proms.
Also our Proms don't seem to be as big a deal as in America. Go figure.
 
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Thanks so much Joanne. It seems pretty comprable to the US, just both are more "low key." Here graduation is almost always on the weekend or an evening, and some schools rent auditoriums at colleges, etc. It gets pretty elaborate at times, depending on the area. Although Proms are bigger than the graduation ceremonies. BIG money is spent on Proms. And ours are held weeks before graduation too.

Thanks so much for your input!

Sarah
 
I've never heard grad being called a Prom here so I guess it's different in different areas in Canada .Basically what we have here is The Graduation ceremony in the school which is followed usually the same night by the Grad Party in a local hotel which is followed by AfterGrad which is all the private parties.
The Grad Party is formal wear where some of the grads will wear corsages and boutonnieres and Aftergrad the attire is whatever you feel like usually.
I don't think it's as much of a big deal as it is in the states here though.
Dianne
 
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I had a long response all ready, and then my computer acted up. So here I go again..

As far as I know its different everywhere in Canada. When I was in highschool (not too long ago) I had prom about 3 weeks before the end of the school year. It wasn't anything fancy or over the top. Just a chance to get dressed up, have dinner, and party afterward. Prom was organized by a few of my friends, they had no support from the school. The school board doesn't want to have anything to do with it, and they want no liability. Very few people had corsages or boutonnieres, and if they did they were small and simple..

For graduation we had a ceremony in the evening at a banquet hall. It was a pretty casual event.... And we didn't have anything planned afterward.

Another school not to far away did not have prom but had a prom/grad combination. the ceremony was in the evening, and prom started afterward...
 
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Prom was when all the boys and girls dressed up, and stood on opposite sides of the gym.....Graduation, was when most of the girls got fed up waiting.....
 
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Ditto what OB1 said.

Our shop is located between 2 large public high schools, and there are several small private high schools in the area. Starting around Mother's Day, each one will be holding a prom. We will get 20-60 orders for each prom, depending on the size of the school. Because this is a fairly affluent area of the city, the kids will spend about $1000/couple on prom tickets, limo, tux rentals, etc., excluding the girls' dresses. They will not spend much on flowers, which seems to be the last thing they buy. Nor, no matter how much I've tried, will they buy something "unusual". They are most comfortable ordering from the wire service books, and even there will opt for the most traditional items. (Yes, I present other options but only get a few takers.)

I've not totally given up on the idea of promoting better designs, but have decided that our best efforts should be giving these kids an easy, pleasant, stress-free experience -- after all, this is their first flower buying experience for most of them ... and hopefully the start of a long future of flower buying. Their next major floral purchase may be a wedding, where they will be more receptive to creativity.

But it makes me pea-green envious of all the American florists!
 
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Scarborough has two events that involve corsages/boutonnieres:
Grade 8 graduation which involves an awards ceremony followed by a dance. The girls order corsages/hair flowers and the guys a boutonniere.
It's so unnerving to see your young teen turn into a glam queen, complete with hair, make-up, nail treatment and formal dress in a matter of 2 hours!
The kids usually gather at a restaurant after the festivities, and the bolder ones proceed to private parties.
High school prom usually takes place in May; same floral needs as above. The actual grad ceremony takes place in October, which means that students have to return to the area if attending university out of the area - most don't bother. I think the reasoning behind the October date is so the summer students can get their missed credits and graduate with their peers.
Emily
 
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Thank you all for such tremendous responses. I have to say... you Canadians sure are helpful!! :)

So my next question is - is Prom featured in the "teen" magazines there? Before our class Cory told me to go buy Prom magazines. I about fell over when I saw the selection of prom magazines in our area. Ny how the world has changed in 12 years. Is there such a thing in Canada? If so... could I get anyone to mail me one? I'll send a check or money order in advance for the cost of the magazine and the shipping.
 
Prom has been part of the fabric of most of Canada for generations... as is graduation (Nursery school, grade eight, highschool, University, College).

V
 
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Prom and Grad are the same thing here, There is grade eight grad and then grad from highschool. When the diplomas and awards are handed out for graduating highschool students its called commencement and is held either late June or early in the fall.
 
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Well, Sarah, I'm back from my travels and not a teen "Prom" type magazine to be found. Perhaps in bigger city? Or maybe it's another one of these Canadian things...we get so wired up about hockey, there just isn't enough energy left over for the Prom?!?
JP
 
OB1 said:
Well, Sarah, I'm back from my travels and not a teen "Prom" type magazine to be found. Perhaps in bigger city? Or maybe it's another one of these Canadian things...we get so wired up about hockey, there just isn't enough energy left over for the Prom?!?
JP
Click to expand...

Thanks for trying!! :)
 
I don't think I've ever seen a magazine dedicated to proms here.

V
 
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