As students prepare for prom by renting tuxes and buying dresses, the members of Student Council work hard to make sure that everyone attending enjoys their night.
“It’s really hard to make decisions because we want to make sure everyone has a great time,” junior Stuco member, Lexie Winter said.
This year prom will be at the Sheraton Hotel, which has recently been renovated, after last year’s site at Busch Stadium.
“Busch Stadium is hard to live up to, but I think the Sheraton has a really pretty atmosphere,” Stuco sponsor Mrs. Jamie Dresser said. “It is definitely a great place to have it.”
Dresser, as the sponsor of the junior class, has experience with planning prom.
“Because I have helped plan prom in the past, I am able to give them advice on what has worked in the past and what has not,” Dresser said.
Both class sponsors, Dresser and Mrs. Jaclyn Gammon, give the students advice on where to buy items for prom, such as the crown, invitations, food and decorations. In addition, they suggest ways to fund the money needed for prom.
Although Dresser offers the students a lot of advice while preparing for prom, the planning comes down to the members of Stuco.
“In the end the students have the final decisions,” Dresser said. “It is they who are doing the decision-making and planning.”
With many decisions to be made and many different opinions, it is often difficult for the members to agree.
“It’s really hard to accommodate everyone’s taste and different opinions,” junior Stuco member Minki Kim said.
The meetings for planning prom start in the second semester and take place once every Wednesday morning. At these meetings, the members vote on table decorations, food, invitations, people for the fashion show, prom favors and the fundraisers.
“The juniors have done a really great job completing all of the various tasks,” Gammon said.
To conquer each aspect of prom, Stuco members divide up into different committees consisting of decorations, prom favors, prom court and the fashion show.
“It’s really fun to see everything start to come together,” Gammon said.
To help the members manage their time, the sponsors created a packet of planning information for prom that included a timeline.
“The packet has everything that has to be done and when it should be done so we aren’t stressed,” Winter said.
The cost of prom this year totaled about $30,000. Stuco gets this money from doing fundraisers throughout the year. The theme selected was “Bollywood.”
“We have to remember that prom is for everyone,” Winter said. “It is not just for the people on Student Council.”
