As the annual Night of the Stars (NOTS) formal evening approaches, guys and girls may feel the pressure to secure dates and find a tux or dress for the Jan. 24 event. NOTS will begin at 6 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in downtown Fresno, located at 1055 Van Ness Blvd., and continue until 9.
The formal will include a dinner followed by an Oscar-like awards ceremony for the class movies. In addition, a parent-sponsored dance will extend after the event from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. for an undetermined admission fee.
In accordance with the “star-struck” theme for the event, student leadership members intend to decorate the location with dark colors, hanging stars and bright, twinkling lights, according to Katie Mendenhall, one of two leadership advisers.
“We want to make the room appear as if you’re sitting in the sky with the galaxy around you,” Mendenhall said.
In past years, NOTS was held at Cornerstone Church. However, student leadership members opted to change the location to the Holiday Inn in order to provide a more elegant atmosphere as well as to serve a higher quality meal, Mendenhall said.
The menu consists of three dinner options: chicken picatta, New York steak and a vegetarian dish. The hotel will cater the event.
Contrary to previous years, the class movies will not be shown at NOTS. Each grade will instead present a film during chapel periods throughout the week of Jan. 20-23. Student leadership made this change in hopes of greater attendance and planning a shorter, more enjoyable night, Mendenhall said.
“Last year, the attendance was down, so we changed it so that more students would come and would have a better time,” Mendenhall said. “By not showing the movies, the night won’t be drawn out and boring. We are putting in a lot of effort to make students excited to come.”
In addition, NOTS 2009 will feature a parent-sponsored dance ? not affiliated with the event, school or leadership class ? after the awards ceremony. Parent chaperones and security guards will oversee the after-party to ensure a safe environment for the students, Mendenhall said.
“I think it’s a good idea that we get to attend a dance even though we go to a private school,” sophomore Sara Visciglio, who previously attended Bullard High School, said. “In public school there were always a lot of dances, so I wonder what this one will be like.”
Although students often attended separate dances or parties after NOTS in previous years, the parent-sponsored dance offers a more centralized option. However, some prefer the traditional NOTS routine over standard formals.
“I like how the formal is, because it’s not just a dance like public schools have,” Lizzie Williams, ’12, said. “Just a dance wouldn’t be as fun, but at NOTS I will get to spend time with friends during a dinner and awards show. It’s my first time going, and I will probably continue attending it throughout high school.”
While NOTS is one of the most anticipated events of the school year, some students decline to attend because of the cost. Although the ticket prices ranged from $45-50, the total often exceeds $200 after the addition of formal attire and the optional cost of a limousine.
“NOTS is too expensive,” Jason Jonathan, ’09, said. “I don’t want to pay all that money to go to it. If it could be cheaper, I would probably go.”
Despite the price, student body president Scott Orcutt encourages students to attend formal, which he identifies as a highlight of the high school experience.
“NOTS is probably the coolest thing our school does, and it is unique to our school,” Orcutt, ’09, said. “You get to hang out with friends and be involved in the movies. I’ve gone every year and I think everyone should go at least once because it’s something you will do in high school that you will remember.”
For more information on NOTS, visit the Dec. 11 article, NOTS deadline presses date-seekers or e-mail Katie Mendenhall or the other leadership adviser, Aaron Bryan.
For past coverage of the NOTS formal, visit the April 1 article, Underwater decor enchants NOTS.
