This Saturday the 12th, Carroll High School will be having its Great Gatsby-themed Prom in the Kruse Plaza Ballroom at Kruze Plaza. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. and goes until 10:30. After Prom begins at Power Up at 11:30 p.m. and concludes at 1:30 a.m.
Students are required to bring some form of identification in order to get into both Prom and After Prom. This can be a Driver’s License, Permit, or a student ID.
The Student Council has been busy planning for Prom since November after successfully hosting the On the Boardwalk themed Semi Formal. Preparation includes choosing the theme, making and/or buying decorations, booking venues, deciding what food to serve, and coordinating ticket sales.
Each year the theme for Prom is voted on by the Senior Officers of Student Council.
“Brubaker asked officers to think of some ideas… and then from the ones we came up with we picked our top 3… and we decided on the Gatsby one,” said Diss. “It was mostly just thinking of decorations, like how we could decorate the venue according to each theme and which would be the easiest or the best.”
The two sponsors of Student Council, Freshman English teachers Helen Brubaker and Melinda Hopkins, went to Kruze Plaza with the senior officers to take a tour of the venue and plan out where everything should go. They also toured Power Up when trying to decide where After Prom should be.
Student Council both buys and hand makes their decorations, depending on the theming of the event. This year for Prom, most of the decorations were store bought, but there were a few items that still needed to be assembled, including the big PROM letters in the image above.
This will be Brubaker and Hopkins’ first year decorating for Prom, as this is the first year both Freshman and 10-12 Student Councils are combined.
“Friday night, we’ll go up for a couple of hours to help set up the DJ and the photobooths. Saturday morning we’ll go up for about three hours to do centerpieces, tables, cupcake delivery… so I hope it takes around no more than 10 hours,” said Brubaker.
Some Student Council members who are Underclassmen cannot attend Prom, but they can help decorate in preparation for the big night. They will also help check students in, and work things like the cupcake tables. This is the first time Underclassmen will be allowed to participate, other than just teachers and parents.
One of the most important factors of planning for Prom was ticket sales.
“If something were to have gone wrong, it would have been a sticky situation because of the timing of it,” said Diss.
The Student Council wanted to have all tickets sold before spring break, but they were trying a new method of selling. This was the first year they sold tickets in homerooms instead of before or after school like in the past.
The cost of tickets this year was $35 per person. This money was used to help cover the costs of planning such a big event.
“Whatever the ticket sale cost is for Prom, all of that money is going into the Prom whether it’s for decorations, food, for security, or DJ,” said Hopkins.
None of the sales made from tickets are used for the personal use of the Student Council. All funds go towards the event itself and After Prom.
Normally, After Prom is at Crazy Pinz on Lima Road. But, when they went to book it, another school out of town had already rented the place for Saturday. So, they had to come up with another plan. That’s where Power Up entered the picture.
“We’re looking forward to it!… They have some attractions that are not at Crazy Pinz,” said Brubaker.
Those attractions include Pickleball, slides, arcade games, a ninja warrior course, VR attractions, a ropes course, volleyball & dodgeball, and more.
As for what to expect for those who are attending Prom, the theming and decorations have been described as very classy and elegant. The Student Council has worked hard to help provide this once in a lifetime experience for Juniors and Seniors.
“You’re making memories,” said Hopkins. “You’re never going to have another Junior or Senior Prom.”
“Prom is the students that are there,” said Brubaker. “It’s not the decor, it’s not the dessert… just capture this milestone. It’s a way to celebrate the end of this school year… Take the time to enjoy the people in your life.”
