First released in 2006, the “Night at the Museum” fantasy-comedy movie trilogy serves as the inspiration for the June 1 senior prom at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.
Class officers decided on the theme based on the venue, where other schools have previously held prom with the same theme. As the popular trilogy spanned from 2006 to 2014, many seniors might recognize elements of “Night at the Museum” from their childhood.
“In the movie, the dinosaur was the first thing that came to life,” senior class representative Jennah El-Ashmawi said. “And so when you first walk into the Cal Academy of Sciences, you see the dinosaur skeleton.”
Tickets went on sale on April 29 with prices starting at $145 with ASB and $155 without ASB. From there, the prices are going each week before prom. By the week of May 20, tickets prices will reach $180 with ASB and $190 without.
Class officers are expecting to fill approximately six to seven buses, with around 200 to 250 attendees.
The Class of 2019’s senior prom tickets are significantly cheaper than their junior prom tickets, which started at $175 with ASB and $185 without ASB.
“One thing to keep in mind is that in the other years we’ve had to fundraise for the years to come,” senior class secretary Khiara Berkowitz said. “This year we’re graduating so we don’t have to save money, and we can spend everything we have.”
In addition, fundraising events and senior activities throughout the year have contributed funds to senior prom, from Parent Night at the beginning of the year to recent events such as Mr. Saratoga, Senior Sidekick Day and Toga’s Got Talent.
Another aspect that reduced ticket prices this year is that the venue can not be decorated, El-Ashmawi said, due to museum regulations.
From 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m, the museum will offer a variety of attractions at different times. The aquarium will be open for the first hour and a half, with music starting afterwards. Throughout the night, seniors will be able to experience the earthquake simulator and fog machine, see the pendulum, walk through the rainforest exhibit (excluding the dome) and step outside to the balcony area.
“One of my first memorable high school experiences was a freshman year biology field trip to Cal Academy, where we weren’t allowed to go on the earthquake simulator without a chaperone,” senior Maya Gollamudi said. “I’m most looking forward to finally getting a turn on the earthquake simulator after four years.”
Dinner and appetizers will be served in the African Savanna room. After surveying a few seniors, officers chose the cold menu for the catering, which includes options like sushi, salads and wraps. According to Berkowitz, the cold menu made a $30 decrease in ticket price compared to the hot menu, and also received positive feedback from senior prom last year.
An all-you-can-eat crepe station will be available alongside the catering.
The senior class office has decided to hire DJ Delicious for music at senior prom, but they hope to combat problems with song choices by getting senior input.
Seniors will be able to fill out a survey of songs they would like to hear as well as songs they really don’t want played at prom, Berkowitz said.
The senior class officers will meet with DJ Delicious and explain what kind of music the seniors want to hear, including many throwback songs, according to El-Ashmawi.
Senior class representative Kyle Yu is looking forward to hearing throwback songs at the dance, commenting that “they’re fun since everyone knows the lyrics.”
In an effort to promote the event, class office posted a venue reveal video, an askings video to promote the Saratoga SProm 2019 — Askings Page, which they hope to air on SHSTV and post on Instagram.
“I hope that because it’s our last prom, we’ll have a very big turnout, and that even people who typically don’t like going to dances will come,” Berkowitz said. “Just the idea of it being a place where we can all bond, and it being our last event before graduation.”