On the afternoon of April 16, a crowd of students donning dresses and tuxedos will board buses at SHS, ready for junior prom at Hayes Mansion, a hotel resort in San Jose.

    Within the hotel, students will find a large ballroom awaiting them. Desserts, pictures and various board and card games will be downstairs. Officers are also planning to set up a DIY candy bar.

The venue was booked a full year in advance by the Class of 2017’s officers, who voted almost unanimously for the venue after viewing the “gorgeous” exterior of Hayes Mansion.

“Usually, we need to plan prom a year prior in order to get the date we want because these venues fill up really fast with other events and weddings and such,” junior class president Ellicia Chiu said.

Bids went on sale March 14 and are scheduled to last through April 1, with prices starting at $135 with ASB and $140 without. Prices will increase by $10 each week. Students can enter for the chance to win a 50 percent discount on their prom bids by tagging their “promposal” on Facebook with the hashtag #shsjprom2016. The best promposal will be chosen by the junior class officers once the bid sales end.

Because the contest is so easy to enter, Chiu believes that all of the 275 to 300 students the class officers hope will attend prom will also enter the contest.

“I think I just really want everyone to have a good time,” Chiu said. “I really hope for positive feedback because we've been working really hard on this.”