The rush to secure a date for winter formal will be premature by several weeks this year, due to a Dec. 19 deadline for buying tickets. Night of the Stars, scheduled for Jan. 24, will be held at the Holiday Inn ballroom in downtown Fresno.

This year student leadership refuses to sell tickets for the event after Christmas break. In previous years the leadership team has gone over budget, and in order to prevent this, the number of attending students will be counted before any purchases for decorations or food are made.

Despite having already secured a date, junior Riley Endicott said the deadline puts unnecessary pressure on students to ask someone so many weeks in advance.

?Most people don’t start thinking about who they will ask until at least five weeks before,? Endicott said. ?A lot of people ask during or right after the break. I think that the attendance will drop considerably because of the deadline.?

In the past years NOTS consisted of a catered dinner, watching a movie made by each class, plus an awards ceremony. However, in order to save time, all movies will be watched in chapels during the week. The actual event will only include dinner and an awards ceremony from 6-9 p.m.

?Every year students complain about the food or the length of the event,? junior Jackie Cowin, ticket group leader, said. ?This year leadership is providing a better quality meal. However, this specific caterer requires more notice for how many plates of food are needed. We are also being very careful with the numbers because the extra food brings up the cost of tickets. This is why we are only selling tickets until Christmas break.?

The cost for the ticket is $45. The theme, Star Struck, will attempt to give an elegant spin to an outer space atmosphere. According to the leadership decoration committee, they chose this theme in order to present a distinct and glamorous atmosphere.

?This year is different because we won’t be showing the full movies on the night of,? Katie Mendenhall, leadership advisor, said. ?We’re setting it up more like the Academy Awards. I think that it is better this way because the event won’t be as drawn out. NOTS is a good socializing time for the students. It’s fun for them to get dressed up and be with friends in a different environment.?

Despite the changes, including a non-school affiliated dance after the awards, the tradition of NOTS continues and many students feel excited to take part in the event again or for the first time.

?I am going to NOTS this year because all my friends are going,? Alex Campama, ’11, said. ?It’s a school tradition and I had a lot of fun going last year. I don’t want to miss out on it this year.?Tall order: Knot NOTS date

For specific asking ideas, check out Tall order: Knot NOTS date or Freshman NOTS pick-up, or for more information, read the April 1 article, Underwater decor enchants NOTS.