While it may still be January, the buzz of prom hangs in the air at OH and dresses have begun to fly off shelves. The Junior Class Council is hard at work planning for the event of the year, trying to make each prom more magical than the last.
The Junior Class Council consists of an elected group of OH juniors who take on the lofty task of planning and running prom. While they have other duties as well, their main focus is to engage students in prom and build excitement for the dance.
“We started planning right after Homecoming, around November,” said Junior Class Council President Abby Schwab. “The committee meets once a month and at each meeting, the sponsors update us on what we need to accomplish. They do some work with administration behind the scenes as well.”
Prom planning begins as early as the fall semester with decisions like theme and venue location. The Council works as a team to decide what the student body will enjoy the most for prom and how to make it happen.
“First we look through different magazines that we have to brainstorm different theme ideas,” said Junior Class Council Advisor Jennifer Keto. “We usually try to narrow it down to three ideas.”
After those theme ideas have been decided, the Council turns to the OH student body to vote on a final theme idea. Through this process, they recognize the importance of keeping students engaged and involved in prom planning to make it a success.
“We have created some posters that are going to be put up around the school with the three themes with pictures that all of the seniors can look at and decide which theme they want to vote for,” said Keto. “And then we’ll send out a survey to all the seniors where they can vote on one of the three themes.”
After the theme has been decided, the council moves on to the more logistical side of planning. This includes picking things like menus and decorations for the night. These plans are mostly led by the advisors and the council, as student input is used largely at the beginning of the process.
“Once we get the theme the council will meet to decide what decorations we want, how we want it to look, we’ll do the menu, colors, all that stuff,” said Junior Class Council Advisor Jessica Kawulia.
None of prom would be possible without one factor: the venue. The venue that OH is having prom at this year is brand-new but shows great promise for a magical prom night. The Matrix Club, located in Naperville, puts a modern and contemporary twist on the traditional prom look.
“They just opened in the fall, so this will probably be their first set of proms,” said Kawulia. “We are going to visit the venue pretty soon in a couple of weeks with Mr. Cooney so we can see it finished.”
Aside from the advisors, council members and students are very excited about the location change. After many troubles in the past with the venue, this is a welcome change.
“The new venue seems like it will be much better than last year. It can fit more people and according to the sponsors, there are more food options and it has a better layout,” said Schwab.
Even with new changes and improvements this prom season, the advisors and council members are sure that this event will be one to remember. Students are encouraged to become engaged and involved in this process, from anything from themes to music.
“Getting student input is the most important thing and making sure that this is something they want,” said Kawulia. “There is a form for music with songs and for the most part they get a say in what they get to listen to.”
Oswego is notorious for both its homecoming and prom events, with longstanding traditions and continuous excitement for these dances. Many students are already starting to feel the pre-prom excitement and are ready for the event of the season.
“It is a fun event that everyone wants to remember from high school, and unlike homecoming, you only get to go to two proms,” said Schwab. “It unifies the community, especially the upperclassmen.”
More information about the prom will be publicized soon as the council decides on final plans for the dance. Until then, rest assured that the council is working hard to make this dance fun for everybody and a great final send-off for seniors.
My name is Sasha Pankuch and I am a junior here at OHS. This is my first year with 42Fifty too. I am very involved here at OHS; I am on the board of Student Council, I play the saxophone in the Panther Marching Band, and am a member of multiple honors societies!
This was so good Sasha!!!
I love this article! So excited to see the new venue:)
Waiting for you to write book pls
Such a good article! I cannot wait to see what theme OH students decide on.