Prom preview: magical but pricey night awaits juniors

Prom: A monumental and traditional moment for every high schooler. A time when a girl picks a dress and a guy rents a tux. Years down the road, you still remember the flowers, the flashes, and the smiles that everyone shared.

But memories take planning, and that’s exactly what the Leadership class has done for this year’s junior prom: lots and lots of planning.

“We started planning [prom] last year,” said Activities Director Michael Kentris. “We’re going to be having junior prom on Treasure Island in Building One.”

Though the venue was chosen previously two years ago for another CVHS prom, the building on Treasure Island was too much of a gem to pass up, especially considering that the Trojans’ junior prom will be one of the last uses of the building overlooking beautiful San Francisco before its demolition. With schools from all over the Bay Area competing for venues, specifically in San Francisco, the Trojans’ snatch of the island’s building is a victory in itself.

The theme and decorations, however, was a whole other journey.

“In the past we’ve usually done themes like ‘Under the Stars’ or ‘Midnight in Paris,’” Junior Class President Karen Tam commented. “But this year we wanted to do something different.”

The theme for this year’s junior prom will be “Midnight in Morocco,” a theme that CVHS has never done before. Kentris goes on to elaborate more on the finer details of the prom planning.

“We decided on red and gold to tie in with the theme,” he said, “We worked on the layout and the processing so students can get a quick entry.”

Though it seems as if the adults take the reins on planning, there is a lot of student input.

“Leadership is doing the center pieces, making the posters, and taking shifts to work during it,” Tam stated. “There’s also prom royalty and for that we have to collect the votes. During the event we’re also going to have a coat check and a check-in.”

Entertainment at the event will also lead on with the theme of the dance as Kentris listed the different options for juniors: “We’re going to have tarot card readings, casino games, a Casa Blanco style going on, a soda bar, and of course a chocolate fountain.”

Even though it seems as if this year’s junior prom is slightly more outlandish compared to its previous themes, there is no need to worry about the cost difference between this year’s and last year’s range. The cost will be around the same as last year, staying within the budget.

How much each student spends on their own expense is another story.

Tam was able to give a rough estimate to the spending cost of every student: “Though it’s different for everyone I would say about $300 to $400 for everything.”

The dress, tux, shoes, makeup, hair, manicure, pictures, tickets, flowers, promposals, dinner, and limo all added up per person. Though many of these things could now be rented out, the cost of a person attending prom continues to astound everyone who comes across it.

But, as William McCullough puts it, “It doesn’t really matter if you spend $100 at some fancy restaurant or spend $5 at McDonalds because it’s prom and it’s still going to be special at the end of the night.”