With Seaside Heights still not completely restored and students needing a place to go after prom, many Hawthorne High School seniors of the class of 2013 found different ways to enjoy their prom weekend.

Traditionally, in New Jersey, students gather their friends and go down to the Jersey Shore for the weekend after the prom. Sadly, in the fall of 2013, Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast hard with Seaside Heights being one of its main victims. Now, not sure how the condition of the shore was, students had to find an alternative way to spend their weekend.

Some HHS students chose to rent a house in Catskills, New York and spend the weekend with their peers. HHS senior and group organizer, Ricky Grofsick said, “There was almost 50 of us there. We didn’t know if the shore was going to be ready so we decided to do something new.”

Matthew Fenkart, an HHS senior, did something different with his friends as well. Their group rented a house in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. “Although it wasn’t Seaside, the beach is still the beach,” Fenkart said. “It will always be a tradition to go down to beach after prom.”

Another group of seniors from HHS went to New York City the next morning. Michelle Pasquale, also an HHS senior, had the time of her life in NYC. “It was so much fun touring the city, seeing all the attractions all the millions of different people,” Pasquale said. “It was a great time and was money worth spent.”

Although not everyone went to Seaside Heights, they still found a way to have fun that weekend. It goes to show that all you need is your friends to have a good time regardless the place you go.