Bright lights illuminated black and white tuxedos alongside dresses of every color on the dance floor. Stars hung from the ceiling and blue and silver streamers bedecked every floor and stairway. Loud music sounded through the speakers, and the bass resounded throughout the three floors of San Francisco Design Center Galleria, where Aragon’s prom was held on April 15.
Planning the event was a yearlong effort undertaken by the senior class committee that costed between $21,000 and $23,000. “Planning started the previous year. It started in full swing in August, so it takes arguably a year, intensely six months,” says senior class council teacher advisor Katherine Ward. Prom also costs more than what many people would think.
The prom committee plans every aspect of prom, down to the design of centerpieces and the format of the invitations.
The location of prom was already decided, as the school has had a contract with the venue for a few years. Because it was the same as last year, some people heard about it from the people who went the previous year. “I knew the venue was going to be nice from what people told me,” says Junior Shirin Amini. “But when I got there it actually exceeded my expectations.”
Another vital element of prom is the theme. This year’s theme was Night of a Thousand wishes, inspired by the Make-A-Wish foundation. There was an option to make a donation to the foundation when students bought their prom tickets.
Students had varying opinions of the theme. “I thought the theme was very meaningful and unique,” says Amini. “At first I thought it was quite generic, but once it was explained that some of the money being made was going to the Make-A-Wish foundation, I thought it was very cool.”
There were a variety of different kinds of decorations, including centerpieces, furniture, and giant blue and silver stars. “The decorations were very elegant, and I felt like that’s what prom’s supposed to be — elegant,” says Junior Alexis Scatena.
Much of the behind-the-scenes work takes a lot more time and work than some would think. “There’s the side of it that deals with contracts. So any service, or entertainment, that you are having at prom, like the DJ, or the photo booths, or the fortune tellers, or the linens that we had on the table … you have to secure contracts,” says Ward.
Even choosing the DJ is a thorough and time-intensive process. “We listened to about five to 10 DJs, and we had them show us their mixes, and what kind of music they liked to play, and … their general way of DJing,” says prom co-chair and senior Regina Lisinker. “We were able to give [the DJ we chose] our [student] song suggestions, which was nice.”
Many people also enjoyed being able to choose the music. “The DJ was pretty good,” says Amini. “He stayed pretty true to what the students requested.”
Senior Abhishek Paramasivan says, “I thought the DJ was much better than last year. A lot more danceable music.”
Some students had differing opinions. “[I expected] less music from 2010,” says junior Sophie Imbler. “A lot of people didn’t like the music, but I thought that there was a good variety of everything. It’s really hard to please everyone,” says Scatena.
Besides the dance floor, there were several other activities that people could participate in. “I liked how they had activities for people who didn’t want to dance upstairs,” says Senior Olivia Fong.
The other activities included a fortune teller, arcade games, and a photo booth. “I didn’t get around to the fortune teller,” says Amini. “But I have friends who did and they talked to her for at least a half an hour.”
Some students had complaints about the activities. “All the entertainment stuff, the lines were super long for anything besides … existing on the dance floor,” says Imbler.
The week leading up to prom was stressful not only for the prom committee, but for those attending prom as well. “I was actually really late getting a dress,” says Amini. “I bought mine online five days before prom, and was lucky that it only needed minor alterations.”
For other girls, dress-buying is an occasion that occurs months or years in advance. “I got my dress sometime last year,” says Scatena. Fong says, “[I got my dress in] January.”
The hours leading up to prom are usually reserved for getting ready, taking pictures, and spending time with friends and dates. “I hung out in the [Central Park] … with my girlfriend,” says Paramasivan.
Amini says, “My friends and I got ready together, and once everyone was ready we all went to Central Park and took pictures under the gazebo. I believe taking pictures is a pretty common occurrence for prom … as it is such a special event.”
Many students, especially seniors, will remember prom as a fun and meaningful event. “It was fun, as a last dance. It was very memorable,” says Paramasivan.
“I will definitely go to prom again next year, especially since it will be my last opportunity to go, and senior year prom is a sort of a rite of passage,” says Amini. “It was a really fun experience that my friends and I now share, and something that we can look back on.”
