By: Karli Wallace and Kimi Danaei
Executive Theme Editor, Theme editor
Step 1. Deciding on a Theme
Costa’s Associated Student Body began organizing this year’s Prom by looking at multiple venues immediately after last year’s Prom at the Belasco Theater.
According to Activities and ASB Director Lisa Claypoole, the venue was relocated to the Petersen Automotive Museum because of scheduling conflicts with the original venue they picked and booked months after the 2018 Prom. The venue is decided upon the year before to ensure that there is enough time to plan the rest of Prom, according to Claypoole. Along with her, ASB junior class officers President Kate Condren, Vice President Pearce Jones, Secretary Ella Nuttall-Smith and Treasurer Kim Waller were also in charge of planning Prom.
“Universal Studios is where I wanted to go, but they were only available the week after and we always have Prom on the first Saturday in June because the Wine Auction is the weekend after” Claypoole said. “We went in October to look at this venue at USC, and were disappointed with the overall display. I couldn’t accept a venue like that after I had taken 1,000 kids to one of the coolest nightclubs in Los Angeles last year.”
Claypoole and the junior class officers officially booked the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles in November of 2018. ASB’s Central Prom Committee has standards and guidelines for finding the best Prom venue, including large capacity, vacancy on the first Saturday of June and venue fees within the ASB budget, Claypoole said.
“Picking a good venue usually depends on a lot of other details. Some venues require us to put a solid deposit down very early and other years the venue decisions come a bit later, like this year,” Waller said
Step 2. Choosing a Theme
ASB’s Prom planning committee prepared for Prom night by deciding on a theme during the months of January to April.
ASB students held a meeting on Jan. 14 to discuss theme ideas and color palettes. Two theme names, “California Dreamin” and “California Cruisin” were considered. The final vote took place in the following meeting.
“We bring up theme ideas at an ASB meeting and ultimately decide on a theme once we have gone through the pros and cons,” Claypoole said. “This year, a fraction of seniors wanted ‘California Dreamin’ and a fraction of juniors wanted ‘California Cruisin.’”
Junior Class officers held an ASB meeting on Feb. 11 to consult other members of the council to get a final vote.
This year’s theme of “California Dreamin” won. After picking the theme, ASB picked the color scheme and invitations, and completed an outline of their collective plan, Nuttall-Smith said. According to Waller, ASB also assembled a coat check team, received the Prom court nominations and did a walk through of the venue to plan how to utilize the building for Prom.
“The meeting where we decide what the theme for Prom is extremely important,” Nuttall-Smith said. “Though we work the closest with Claypoole, every person in ASB does, in some way, play a part in helping out with Prom.”
Step 3. The Finishing Touches
Throughout May and June, ASB finished the final details of planning before Prom on June 1 at The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
Their tasks included selling tickets during lunch, handling last minute venue logistics and attempting to accomodate students trying to buy tickets late. This year, tickets were on sale from May 9 to 31. A single ticket ranged from $110-$130 and a couple ticket ranged from $190-$260. The prices covered the expenses of the venue. This year a record breaking number of 1,142 students attended Prom.
“We spend our extra time during lunch and in our ASB period working on Prom until the actual dance; whether it’s ticket sales or Prom court tiaras and sashes,” Jones said. “The latest we usually stay is until around 3:00 p.m. May and June are also definitely our busiest months in the grand scheme of planning Prom.”
Now that Prom is over, Claypoole and her Prom planning committee are responsible for choosing a venue for next year’s Prom. The rising junior class officers of the class of 2021 will be responsible for Prom planning next year. According to Nuttall-Smith, previous junior office position holders give advice and provide insight for the next year’s officers.
“Even though we’re technically not involved with Prom planning after it’s over, we’ll still be indirectly involved next year,” Nuttall-Smith said. “We mentor the rising junior class officers. If they need help or advice, we’re happy to help.”
Leave a Reply