Two kings take the crown at prom

Prom 2026, held at The Bellwether in Los Angeles on Saturday, was a successful and extravagant event for Costa’s juniors and seniors. Getting dressed up in short and long dresses, suits and tuxedos, upperclassmen made their way over to prom with friends and dates for a “Mustangs after dark” themed night.

Prom came to an end with the announcement of the 2026 Prom royalty. The 2026 prom royalty were seniors Brodie Kelley and Alex Bindler. Kelley has had experience on a court before, as a Homecoming Court member, but this is Bindler’s first time on a court, a fantastic way to end his senior year.

“I didn’t expect to get called onto the court at all. We didn’t really have much time to vote, so I wasn’t even thinking about it,” Kelly said. “When I got to school, people were talking about it, and I thought it was pretty cool.”

Kelley described the moment of winning by saying, “When they announced the results, I was honestly surprised. My mouth was just kind of hanging open because I thought my best friend, Will, deserved it.”

Bindler was also surprised and happy to find out his name was on the court, making the honor a highlight of his senior year.

Shocked to be on the court, Bindler said it was “probably because I told my friends to vote for me as a joke”. He says the experience was “really fun, especially the crowdsurfing, but sorry if I fell on anyone.”

Between the tarot card reader, multiple photo booths, a buffet style dinner, and karaoke room, this prom truly had it all. The dance floor was popping the whole night, with the DJ playing crowd-pleasers like “Dancing Queen” by ABBA, “Baby” by Justin Bieber, and other requests sent in during prom by students.

Other Prom Court nominees were seniors: Kaela Kaiser, Joia Welch, Jordan Malone, Sophia Peña, Juna Manabe, Leilani Tran, Ishaan Aggarwal, Gavin Owen, Will Finnerty, and Lachlan Murphy. As students walked into prom, chaperones handed them two tokens, which they use to vote for their desired winners. Tokens were tallied during prom, and at the end, the winners were announced.

Prom was a successful final hurrah for the seniors just before the year comes to an end, and the class of 2026 graduates. It was definitely a memorable experience, especially for Brodie Kelley and Alex Bindler, one they will never forget. Both seniors said they spent the rest of the night dancing, having fun, spending time with friends, and taking in every last moment of high school while its still in front of them.

“It was an awesome way to end senior year,” said Bindler.