With around 500 tickets sold as of Tuesday, April 7, the Paris-themed prom will be held at AV Irvine, a new location for Sunny Hills, on Saturday, April 11.
Associated Student Body [ASB] adviser David Fenstermaker said the venues are decided one year in advance; AV Irvine was chosen after a visit to a different Long Beach venue that wasn’t the best option.
“So, we went out and looked for another venue and the entertainment company, which is in charge of it, sort of jumped over and said, ‘Can you use [AV Irvine] instead?’” Fenstermaker said. “And we said, ‘Yes.’”
The crew who accompanied him to visit the sites included the junior class cabinet and junior class adviser Chablis Bates, Fenstermaker said.
The regulations remain similar to previous years: students may enter the venue starting at 7 p.m., doors close at 8 p.m. and exits begin at 10:30 p.m. However, in accordance with AV Irvine’s rules, the ASB adviser emphasized that students should not be bringing items such as liquids (including perfumes), mints and items with chains.
In addition, this year’s location features indoor and outdoor spaces decorated to suit the Paris and city of lights theme — different from the past two years.
“The outside is seating, and where some of the food is and that kind of stuff,” Fenstermaker said. “And then also just if you wanted to get out, if it’s loud, or you want to go outside and get some fresh air, you can do that.”
The prom theme, “Where Paths Cross Paris,” was revealed through a teaser video presented in the quad during break on Wednesday, March 25.
ASB junior class president Cameron Kim said the brainstorming for the event began in the summer, and the junior class cabinet and Bates settled on the theme.
“We were thinking about going niche in the beginning of the year, but then I was talking to some seniors in my IB [International Baccalaureate] classes and seniors in ASB, getting their feedback, and I realized that they don’t really want something niche — they just want something really nice and pretty,” said Kim, who added that event promotions are happening on campus and social media. “I thought Paris was pretty, and it can be done really well.”
Like previous years, students will have access to photobooths, a special ringlight camera station, and desserts such as beignets to go along with the theme. Replacing the caricature artists from last year, Kim said there will be a keychain-making station for students to participate in.
“I heard a lot of seniors last year really wanted to have something to do, and I think making keychains is perfect,” he said. “We bought enough for every single person, so hopefully everyone gets to enjoy and take a keychain home.”
Senior Ethan Anguiano said he is excited to see how the theme is executed within the venue.
“When I first found out about the theme and the venue, I thought that it was unique but at the same time very cool,” Anguiano said. “The prom theme is something that no one would ever really suspect, but I think that seeing how everybody will dress up will be very interesting.”
The junior class president Kim said he feels relieved after seeing students getting excited for prom — and everything prepared at the venue.
“I’m proud of being able to execute; prom is going to be a hit,” he said. “I’m just really proud of [the junior class cabinet] for juggling their school course load and managing prom, sacrificing their breaks, and I cannot ask for a better cabinet because they’ve just made my life so much easier and this year so fun and enjoyable.”
Like the previous year, Fenstermaker said there will be a voting booth available only for students who attend the dance to vote for prom court, with the official announcement and crowning scheduled to be around 10:15 p.m.
As this is his final prom, Anguiano hopes to spend time with friends and create lasting memories.
“It definitely sucks that it is our last prom and practically our last big school event,” he said. “I am going to take as many pictures as I can and be with friends consistently throughout the night.
“Every senior there is going to have the exact same idea, so it should be a super fun time to hang out with everybody for one of the last times.”
Similarly, senior Emarie Rodriguez, who attended prom as a junior at The Artic in Anaheim, said she is more excited for the event this year since it’s her final high school dance.
“I went to last year’s prom, but I’m definitely looking forward more for this one” Rodriguez said. “I think this year’s prom will be more bittersweet because it’s my last one.”
Fenstermaker said he encourages all juniors and seniors to take part in a high school tradition shared across the U.S.
“You only get a couple of these in your four years of high school, and in your whole life, you might as well take advantage of it,” he said. “It’s just not any different than going with your friends to do anything else, it’s a little more expensive and it’s a little fancier, but it’s something that every school in America has, and it’s sort of like that’s the one thing that we all kind of share, so it’s nice to experience that and have that opportunity.”
Ticket sales started on Wednesday, March 25, at $100 per ticket with an ASB Gold Card and $110 without. Prices increased this week to $120 with a Gold Card and $130 without. Tickets can be purchased on the Sunny Hills Webstore until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 10.
