Lack of participation sheds doubt on class of 2017 prom

Juniors are faced with the problem of not having enough student participation to raise the funds for prom. Since this year started, the junior class officers have been having a hard time getting all of the students together, and getting them to participate in the meetings to brainstorm and plan for fundraiser.

“Our problem is that we don’t have enough junior classmates who are willing to participate on the fundraising efforts,” Brenda Cornell, 2017 class sponsor said.

Week after week, a small group of students show up to the meetings, but no matter the efforts, the group’s power is not enough. The class needs more juniors to be involved on the selling to raise the money for prom. So far this year, there have been three fundraisers which have raised about $200 each, for a total of about $1200, while the minimum goal by the end of the year is to raise at least $3500 to be able to put a down payment on a location for next year’s prom.

“I think that many Seniors look forward to their senior prom, but unfortunately they are not thinking about what it takes to make that prom and they are taking it for granted,” Cornell said.

If the Junior class doesn’t raise enough money this year, they will either have their prom in the school’s cafeteria, or during prep day they will have to spend $150 for a prom ticket so that the money can be used to be put a down payment on a location.

“Students should go to the meetings because it’s a good way to meet new people and stay connected as a class. You should be involved in what you are doing because it is the same people you came with, and it’s going to be the same people you are going to leave with, and so everyone should get involved,” junior class president Jay Cruz said.  

Students spend four years of high school together, and in the end, they will celebrate their graduation day together, and will want to have a special night like prom where they can all be together one more time.  The meetings will give students the chance to not only finish the details for prom, but also to be able to get to know everybody and create a class bond.

“You can’t be divided as a class. Nothing get’s accomplished,” class sponsor Emily Vasquez said.

Coming up in December, there will be another fundraiser called ‘Reindeer Candy Grams”, where students will sell candy canes decorated as reindeers in which purchasers can write a message and the class officers will dress up as Santa and his reindeers and deliver the candy cane to those who had a message send to them the last week before break. Students can help the class of 2017 by donating candy canes, brown pipe cleaners, red pompom noses, googly-eyes, glue guns, and glue sticks for the fundraiser.

Meetings are Thursdays after school in D305. You can also join the Google classroom with the code dyci4k5.