Sequoyah’s High School Prom 2024
Courtesy of Visit Pasadena
On April 12, Sequoyah hosts its annual prom, a celebration of students’ hard work and ability to plan afterparties. This year, The Barefoot Times met with some of the prom planners on the Big Events Committee to discuss expectations, planning, and logistics for the event. Anticipating to host more than 100 students, the prom planners are facing a barrage of logistical considerations, from food to security.
Describing the hopes of the Big Events Committee, member Astrid Conder ’27 stated: “We want people to have fun. We want people to enjoy the results… and leave prom thinking, ‘Oh, that wasn't bad.’” Faculty advisor Arden Thomas was more optimistic, referring to last year’s prom as a success. She explained that “all the tenth graders and their ninth grade guests stayed until the very end and danced the whole time. It was so much fun.”
Two essential facets of prom planning are venue and food. Choosing a venue took months; Committee Chair Sacha Smith ’24 visited four different contenders. The South Pasadena War Memorial and Brookside Golf Club were the finalists. Ultimately, Smith chose Brookside. As he explained: “I think it’s just getting less and less appropriate for us to prom at the War Memorial.”
Furthermore, pragmatic budgetary considerations drove the decision to host prom at Brookside. Smith explained that last year, “we spent most of the money or almost all the money on the venue,” which, “normally costs around $1,000 to $2,000, but they require you to spend about $4,000 to $5,000 worth of food.”
In years past, food waste has been astronomical. “We were ordering churros and ice cream and or hors d'oeuvres and this and that,” elaborated Thomas. “We had to sign a liability [waiver] to be able to take the food home with us. So we would get all these takeout boxes, and then bring them in and stick them in the faculty lounge on Monday.”
This year, prom will include a full dinner, buffet-style. There will be an entreé of salmon and chicken with sides of roasted potatoes and salad, and a vegetarian option of vegetable primavera pasta.
When choosing the food and venue, the committee focused on ensuring that prom is affordable and accessible, especially at a school that prides itself on its socioeconomic diversity and emphasis on indexed tuition. Simultaneously, too, the Big Events Committee sought “to have something formal and fancy and something you can be proud of,” as Thomas explained.
Security arrangements were another important consideration. Because the Brookside Golf Club directly overlooks a golf course and has a plethora of doors that open to the course, planners feared students running onto the golf course. In response, the Committee plans on deploying Sequoyah faculty and staff around the event venue.
Finally, The Barefoot Times examined prom’s scheduling decisions. Last year, prom was scheduled the evening before the April 15 ACT. As a consequence, many juniors who attended the dance had to leave early. It didn’t just happen last year, however: this year’s ACT is scheduled for April 13, 2024.
Remember to buy your prom tickets! They are $80 dollars by cash or personal check in the main office. The first ticket purchased will be indexed, while tickets for guests will not be. Students may bring up to two (2) guests.