Junior prom attendees party like Gatsby

Three hundred guests dressed to the nines and attended Junior Prom at Silver Creek Country Club on the night of April 18. Following the theme of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” guests sipped on mocktails and danced the night away.

As buses pulled out of the Saratoga High parking lot at 5:30 p.m., students attending the dance buzzed with excitement. The commute to the venue was approximately 30 minutes, but students enjoyed the ride and chatted with their friends.

Upon arriving, they were escorted into an extravagant lobby with pillars, paintings and ornaments, which led to a circular ballroom decorated like the interior of Gatsby’s mansion.

“The venue was absolutely beautiful,” said junior Josh Dey. “The view from the balcony was breathtaking and the lounge and seating area was terrific.”

Junior class officers agreed that the decision to hold it at the country club was a great one.

“We were blown away when we visited the venue, but we were especially worried about the space inside because remodeling was taking place during our visit,” said junior vice president Spencer Yen. “However, it ended up all being appreciated and enjoyed and people loved the lounge, bar and dancing.”

Each round table, seating 10-14 guests, boasted ostentatious centerpieces hand-constructed by parent decorator Laura Tillett. The centerpieces consisted of glass vases with crystal beads, inextinguishable candles, translucent water bubbles and large white and black feathers. Gold embroidered candles lit the room, and embellished black and gold table cloths set the color tone.

“It was nice having the students tell me what they wanted for decorations,” Tillett said. “Planning was a lot of fun for Junior Prom, and Senior Prom is going to be the best ever because we will start the process much earlier.”

Dinner was served to each student at his or her table. Guests received either steaming plates of vegetarian ravioli or chicken and rice.

“The meals were both nutritious and delicious,” said junior Supriya Singh. “There was definitely sufficient food in both the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.”

As the night progressed, more and more students made their way to the circular marble dance floor in the middle of the ballroom. One of the guests’ favorite slow song was Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful,” which was featured in “The Great Gatsby” film.

Other songs such as Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” prompted students to form dance circles and show off their slick moves. Students even crowd surfed on chairs.

The DJ blasted the bass nonstop and at one point, the vibrations caused part of a light to fall out of the ceiling. Luckily, students directly beneath were unharmed.

Many attendees, however, felt the DJ was not as good as they would have hoped.

“Some of the DJ’s music selection was questionable because it was sometimes hard for students to dance to,” said junior Daniel Eem. “However, I think he did his best job to make the night fun and successful.”

Regardless, the night ended on the sweet notes of the enchanting slow song, “You and Me,” by Lifehouse. Students sighed at the thought of leaving “Gatsby’s mansion,” and slowly gathered their things, stealing one last glance at the beautiful setting that made their night unforgettable.