Fancy dresses and suits, delicious catering, and teary-eyed goodbyes – Prom never fails to gift graduating seniors with an emotional send-off as well as a memorable night for sophomores and juniors. The annual event, scheduled this year for Saturday, June 8th, in the Jetnasium, saw adjustments and additions over the past few months with some fresh changes such as DJs and elegant decorations. 

In 2023, Adela, a private reception rental space located in Esiapolis, hosted the party. The well-received and luxurious venue featured amenities such as a rooftop terrace and antique decorations. “I really liked Adela. The outdoor rooftop area had a really great view and the venue has a great environment for a fancy party.“ said senior Bolt Yi. As such, DIS arranged to return to the popular locale this June. 

Due to miscommunication and scheduling conflicts, however, the prom committee relocated from Adela to the gym a few months before the get-together. “According to what the students told me, Adela forgot about us. There were 9 different interactions from the time I first asked to reserve it until he told us he basically booked someone else. Although we didn’t put a deposit down, they never really told us. I thought it’d be the job of the guy to tell us. In any case, we were dropped at the last second and so we needed to find a new place. We just settled on the gym because it was the most stable,” Mrs. Gum, prom committee advisor, said.

The event manager from Adela echoed a similar explanation about how events unfolded. “We had conflicting schedules and other issues. You can only hold a venue once you put down a deposit. I think the prom committee was only concerned with the date. Since they did not put down a formal deposit, when someone else called to reserve the venue, we gave it to them. Although we offered them the venue at another date, they refused,” the event manager said. 

The last-minute transition brought mixed reactions. Some students expressed disappointment with the apparent downgrade from the familiar site. “I really hoped we would go to Adela because it’s a one-time experience going to prom as a senior. Although I have nothing against the gym, I don’t think it’s a suitable location for prom. I have memories of exercising and working out there. I just don’t think it would have the same fancy atmosphere as Adela. I understand what happened but I think maybe it could have been avoided,” Bolt said.

Others prefer the spacious Jetnasium and its lowered ticket costs in comparison to Adela. “I think having prom at our school is better because we’re staying in our community. We have more space so that’s obviously better. Last year, we also had to pay more because we had to rent the venue. Since prom’s happening in our school this year, we could make use of the larger area and make the scale bigger without paying as much,“ Sunny Oh in 11th grade said. 

Mrs. Gum stressed the importance of recognizing the effort that her committee put forth, no matter individual opinions. They met each week over the entire school year to curate a formal event for upperclassmen. “I know there’s a lot of speculation about prom and I don’t want it to seem like we dropped the ball. Our students have been working hard and they were all really disappointed. The students who plan prom are really invested in it and care about what other people think. We did our best,” Mrs.Gum said.

The committee crafted handmade decorations that reflect the glamor and luxury of the twentieth century to match the “Old Hollywood” theme. “The students are working very hard to make beautiful and memorable decorations. We’re making our own Walk of Fame, where each senior has a star. Each star has been handmade with all the letters of their names cut out by hand. It’s going to be really beautiful,” Mrs.Gum said. 

Despite the lack of amenities, the gym offers one significant advantage compared to Adela – more creative freedom for the party planners. “We have much more freedom for decoration in the gym. We’re going to take full advantage of that. When we go to venues, the first thing they ask is what we’re planning on doing – they’re very weary of us touching their stuff. With the gym, we can do whatever we want. We have total freedom with decorations and we’re going to go very heavy on that,” Mrs. Gum said.  

In addition to the elegant decor, professionally hired DJs will provide music and amp up the party. DJs Haru and Escode promise an exciting, rhythmic setlist to dance the night away. “We prepared our tracklist for prom by including trendy pop songs and viral music from around the globe. We typically determine our tracklist depending on the audience and occasion. We’ve even created a backup playlist for the event,” the two performers from HYUN Entertainment said.

Despite late changes, prom promises to be an unforgettable farewell for the class of 2024. Grandiose old Hollywood decor and live professional DJs more than make up for the switch in locations. As June 8th fast approaches, students can purchase tickets during lunch and recess at the Snack Shack. Posters around campus and at the bottom of this article detail the costs, entertainers, hours, and other regulations.