The prom dance, held at the end of high school and a feature of American teen culture for nearly 90 years, is typically a celebration of students’ high school careers before graduation. It is supposed to be a memorable experience, as students often wear formal attire, dance with their partners, and become unified one last time before college. 

“It’s definitely an experience I’m excited to share with my friends,” says Maddie Jensen,  a senior at SR.

However, the SRHS senior class of 25 has been struggling to guarantee that this experience will be as special as it is supposed to be. 

The biggest concern this year is the budget. The Senior ASB (Associated Student Body) class has fundraised around $3000 for this year’s prom. On average, a senior class should raise around $4000-$6000. The junior class has already raised around $3000 in profit and is already finding venues in San Francisco for their prom. They have given around $250 to the seniors to help fund our prom. With the lower budget, ASB has been endeavoring to find ways to make prom as enjoyable as in previous years.

Ms. Kury, the ASB teacher at SRHS, says, “There is not a money issue, we just need to be smarter about budgeting.”

A possible reason for this issue is that, “we had no standard going into high school because of COVID-19,” says Ruby Lacerda, Senior ASB President at SRHS. Since freshman year, the class of 25 has participated in rallies and fundraisers insignificantly. Although seniors have stepped it up this year because this is their last year, participation has been needed since the very beginning. 

“I am a little frustrated. I wish we had raised more money for the 2025 class, [but] on the bright side no matter what, we will have a good time,” says Samantha Carter, senior at SRHS.

To make this year’s prom as special as previous years without going over budget, the ASB team picked Peacock Gap, a local venue that has free parking, a more affordable option than a lot of other venues. The biggest sacrifice they had to make was the food. Instead of having a sit-down dinner buffet, they plan to get snacks and small meals in hopes that seniors will go out to eat before prom. To compensate, ASB is working to provide entertainment, such as games like pool and foosball, to keep attendees engaged throughout the night.

“I don’t want people to come to the prom and judge the food and event,” says Lacerda, who is also a member of the Off the Leash staff.

The best method the seniors in ASB have been using to raise money is Dine-and-Donate, where restaurants agree to give around 20-25% of their profits to the class that specific day to help fundraise. Still, with minimal media coverage and students not realizing how important these are for their class, all the time dedicated to setting them up is for nothing.

In addition, the senior ASB class has had a reputation for having a low population, with around 3-4 people all the way until junior year. There was no specific reason why nobody joined, but once the seniors realized the importance and other information about the class, a lot more signed up. 

Ms. Ayoob, the former ASB teacher, left to go teach at TL two years ago. Ms. Kury stepped up to take on that position as the new ASB teacher, although it takes years to adapt and learn what it means to be an ASB teacher, according to Kury. “This has been a wonderful experience working with our student leaders,” says Kury. “They truly lead by example and I, along with their Senior Class Advisor, Ms. Oseguera, are here to support them in their endeavors.”

Ticket prices are starting at $90 to make up for the lack of funding. Despite schools in the county such as Terra Linda High School having prices around $120-130, SR has never gone above $100 to accommodate the high percentage of lower-income students who attend. Still, the cost of this year’s tickets concerns some students if they can afford it, especially students who have to pay for it themselves. When asked the price of this year’s prom, 16/20 random seniors said that they think it is a steep price and will be hard to afford, especially given the other expenses for clothes and everything else needed for an enjoyable prom. Ruby Lacerda is trying to figure out if they can create discounts if too many people can’t afford them. But, if too many people feel that it is not worth the money, the prom could be called off.

There are plans to hold one more Dine-And-Donate and hopes for a Senior movie night in the Commons to make one final push for funding. With high participation, this could help possibly provide a discount for some students to pay for the ticket, but the rest will still have to pay the regular price. 

Despite the challenges posed by low participation and a tight budget, the senior ASB class has been determined to make this year’s prom a reality and something to look forward to.