Kyra Williams
Executive News Editor
Mira Costa’s Associated Student Body held the annual Winter Formal dance on Feb. 9 in the Marina del Rey harbor on two yachts named “The Entertainer” and “The Dreamer.”
During the dance, students on “The Entertainer” (Boat A) broke tiles on the ceiling due to their “dancing exuberance,” Mira Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale said in an email sent out to Costa families. The ceiling was seven feet tall and when the DJ realized what had occured, he paused the music and asked the students to stop. When he started the music again, students began to break more tiles.
“We didn’t have an incident on Boat B; the kids had a good time and did a great job,” Dale said. “On Boat A, once I talked to everybody, I really felt like everyone was respecting that, which I appreciated. We also haven’t received the bill yet [for the damages], so once we receive it, we will figure out how to pay for it.”
ASB Activities Director Lisa Claypoole and Dale stopped the dance in order for security and the boat crew to clean up the broken tiles on the dance floor. At the dance, Dale made an announcement telling students that they were representing Costa poorly and another broken tile would result in returning the boat to the dock early. After some time, a student from another high school jumped and broke a tile with his head. The DJ stopped the music, and the boat returned to the dock early.
“Obviously there was that one clear setback, but apart from that it was a pretty special night, and I think everyone in attendance had a great time on both boats,” ASB President Max Haber said. “The majority of the night everyone on Boat A was super happy as well, but obviously they were a little bit bummed that they had to come back early because of the actions of a few people. For the majority of the people that did nothing wrong, they had an amazing night.”
In his email, Dale said the attendees on Boat B met all of the expectations held for Costa students. He also mentioned that there will be changes made for this year’s prom in order to prevent another situation like this one.
“Despite the problematic issue of not having enough room for everyone, [formal] turned out a lot better than I thought it would have,” senior Cecelia Braun said. “It had a great turnout and I really enjoyed being on Boat B.”
ASB originally began selling tickets on Jan. 17 and they sold out on Jan. 25. Due to the unexpected number of people wanting to attend formal, Claypoole booked a second boat to accommodate more students. ASB then sold tickets to the remainder of students, and sold out for the second time. The first boat, Boat A had a capacity of 500 people and the second, Boat B held 300 people.
“I feel like since I’ve been the Activities Director at Mira Costa, I’ve wanted events at our school to be inclusive and for everyone to feel like they can be a part of them,” Claypoole said. “Prom is that way every year, over a thousand kids attend. If this is a turning point for us, where student government activities will be attended by 500 to 700 kids at every turn, then the pain and suffering endured over the week and a half will be worth it.”
After purchasing tickets, students went to Costa’s student store to sign up for their preferred boat. Students who bought tickets first had the opportunity to choose their boat before the other students. This year’s formal had a record turnout with 676 people attending. The event featured a live DJ, dance floor and catered food.
“We didn’t expect this and even though there were obstacles in our way, I was so thrilled everyone went,” ASB Commissioner of Entertainment and junior Ashley Naylor said.
Approximately 21 tiles broke and the school is negotiating the cost of replacement, Claypoole said. The estimate is between $1,800 and $2,200. Costa requested the video footage from the dance floor and is waiting for Hornblower Cruises to send it. The plan for recouping the funds for the damage is to charge an additional $1 to $2 for each student’s prom ticket.
“There has to be a point at Costa where unacceptable behavior is unacceptable behavior,” Claypoole said. “I am hoping for prom there will be a clear zero tolerance policy for any kind of mischief.”
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