Many students were surprised by this year’s early prom date, which is over a month earlier than last year’s May 18 prom and occurs on the first Saturday of spring break. Several students already made plans to be out of town.
“I wanted prom to be near the end of my senior year, not the middle of the second semester,” senior Aidan Smith said.
The “Beauty and the Beast”-themed prom will be held on April 5 from 6:30-10:30 p.m. at the Mountain Winery, located 15 minutes from the school.
Ticket sales began on March 3 for seniors only before becoming available for juniors the following day. Sales close on March 21. Tickets will cost $165 with ASB and $185 without during the first week of sales. Prices for each subsequent week will increase by $20.
The senior class office started planning for the event venue and logistics in September 2023 right after being elected into office, along with senior class advisers Megan Laws and assistant principal Abra Evanoff.
“Once they became officers, we started to research different venues and visit them,” Laws said. “A lot of them got cut just because of the astronomical prices.”
Laws believes that if the senior class office had started the process earlier, there would have been more venues available during desirable dates. However, it’s been more difficult for schools to reserve venues than during previous years, as they have to compete with the many wedding events that have been reserved two years in advance.
Due to the locality of the venue, transportation is not included. However, optional bus fares can be purchased on the SHS webstore and will cost $26 per person.
This year’s tickets are also more expensive compared to last year’s. The senior class was not able to secure a sponsorship because they lost connections that the Class of ‘24 had, which would have cut ticket costs. Last year’s prom tickets cost $130 at its lowest rate, thanks to sponsors such as the company Humanize Her and local realtor Andy Tse.
This setback, however, isn’t stopping the senior class from still looking for sponsors in hopes the ticket prices can go down. If so, students who have gotten their tickets already will get a refund.
The senior class officers almost settled on a venue in San Francisco but after accounting for additional transportation costs, the experience would not have had a satisfactory level of good food and atmosphere inside: “We’d only have a nice building,” Laws said.
As a result, the senior class officers eventually settled on a more nearby venue, the Mountain Winery.
“We thought of prom as a place where we can go to have fun but also take pictures,” senior class president Justin Choi said. “The Mountain Winery encapsulates that; it has a scenic view and we can [use picture-taking as one of] our activities.”
Planned indoor events at prom include a photo booth and DJ. Excluding the concert bowl, prom goers will have access to the entire venue.
In addition, this year’s prom will have more dining options than last year; the catering company features an extensive menu, which the senior class officers taste tested to ensure a quality prom dining experience.
Choi is optimistic that the event will work out despite the unusual timing. Said Choi, “A lot of people were taken by surprise [by the date]. But everybody, juniors and seniors should be excited about our venue.”
