With Christmas break approaching, time continues to run out for guys and girls to request dates for the upcoming, non-school sponsored junior/senior prom on Jan. 12.
Contrary to the normal May date of prom, the student and parent-hosted event will be held in the beginning of 2009. Senior Amanda Wood heads the planning committee and scheduled the date earlier than usual in order to reduce end-of-the-year event [Sadie Hawkin’s, Night of the Stars (NOTS), prom, graduation] congestion. However, the January prom, unlike NOTS or other school-sponsored activities, will not be chaperoned by school staff.
“Parents and student leaders decided to have prom this early because the schedule had been changed for Sadie?s and if it was at the end of the year, we wouldn’t have many dates to choose from,” Wood said. “We wanted students to have money to go and not have to spend a lot of money at once for special occasions.”
The Arabian Nights-themed prom will be held at the Smittcamp Alumni House at California State University, Fresno (CSUF) and will begin at 8 P.M. Tickets cost $30 per person.
John Dinsdale, ’09, varsity football player, believes prom will be a memorable experience.
“Prom is going to be the best night ever,” Dinsdale said, “because there will be dancing and the junior class is fun.”
Some guys seem to lack creativity in their requests. Varsity cheerleader Lindsey Bolduc, ’09, believes boys should develop out-of-the-box ways to ask potential dates.
“I think it’s cute when you can tell that the boy put a lot of effort into asking you,” Bolduc said. “It makes you feel special when they take the time to be creative.”
Although guys normally are expected to do the asking, some appreciate when the girls take initiative. Joe Hergenroeder, ’09, varsity football player, prefers it when girls ask the guys to events.
“I prefer it when girls ask the guys,” Hergenroeder said. “It makes things a lot easier. It’s less pressure on the guys to make the first move.”
Others have already begun to brainstorm ways to ask a date.
“I am definitely planning to go,” Scott Orcutt, ’09, president of the Spanish club, said. “One idea I have is getting four roses and attaching a letter to each that spells ‘P-R-O-M’.”
The fear of rejection often discourages guys, leaving many dateless. Others gather the guts to ask dates and hope for a memorable and positive experience. Riley Endicott, ’10, attended last year’s NOTS with his former girlfriend and enjoyed the event.
“The best part was hanging out with my friends and watching the class videos,” Endicott said. “I wasn’t nervous at all because I went with my former girlfriend and we had fun.”
While only juniors and seniors receive invitations to the student and parent-sponsored prom, NOTS remains open to the entire campus. Scheduled for the beginning of March, leadership works to plan the event months ahead of time to minimize stress.
Vice President Kevin Damm, ’09, helps with the preparation of both NOTS and prom.
“We just picked a place to host it (NOTS),” Damm said. “It’s going to be at Tower Theatre and we are now working on the theme. For prom we are going to have a surprise, in addition to a DJ and dancing. It’s confusing to plan both, but people need to start asking now, because it’s in less than a month.”
For the seniors, prom and formal can seem bittersweet. Varsity cheerleader Taryn Brown, ’08, anticipates the prom but regrets that it will be her last.
“I am so excited because I love dressing up, especially when I am with my friends,” Brown said. “It is hard though, knowing it is your last time.”
For more information, contact Wood at (559) 281-9330.
