On March 16, junior class president Cynthia Zhang announced in the school’s Facebook group that junior prom would be canceled due to the spread of COVID-19.
The dance was canceled a few days before ticket sales were scheduled to begin. Junior prom was originally planned for April 18 at the San Jose City Hall in the Rotunda, a large circular landmark building made completely out of glass. The Rotunda has hosted weddings, concerts and other activities.
Zhang and the other class officers knew their prom could be canceled after hearing that other schools in the area, such as Lynbrook and Silver Creek, had already canceled their junior proms. Lynbrook’s junior prom was originally scheduled to take place on March 21.
“We were honestly just hoping for the best, but we contacted all of our vendors about potential refunds and looked into other options,” Zhang said. “We knew prom being canceled was a possibility especially with all the announcements from the county, but it was only confirmed once we talked to the administration.”
All of the vendors for the scheduled prom were willing to give full refunds or provide vouchers for the class of 2021 to use next year. The class office planned for catering from Il Fornaio, an Italian restaurant that would have provided pizza, pasta and other foods.
The planned theme for the dance, “Under The Lights,” drew inspiration from the festival of lights in the Disney film “Tangled.” Zhang said the decorations would have been more minimal, as “the venue is one of those rooms where it really comes together with a little lighting and lanterns.”
Junior Wilson Fung, who was elected as class representative for senior class office, had planned on attending prom. He said that the cancellation did not surprise him.
“Especially with school closing, it seemed inevitable,” Fung said. “I was sad at first that we wouldn’t have a junior prom, but it’s for our health. Also, tickets could be a lot cheaper for our senior prom, so there are pros and cons.”
Zhang said the funds for this year’s junior prom will go toward the class of 2021’s senior prom next year.
She also said the class office discussed the possibility of having an alternative with the administration.
“We thought of combining with the senior prom or potentially just having a dance in the fall for the class of 2021,” Zhang said. “The only issue is that we don’t know when it will be safe to start holding events. There are definitely options, but we’re still waiting to see what happens.”
As of March 29, the administration and senior class office are still waiting to make a decision on whether senior prom will be canceled based on the situation of COVID-19 in May.