Behind the Masquerade

Students behind MN’s prom preparations

Behind+the+Masquerade

For some Prom attendees, the struggle arises in which dress to buy, or which ties and shoes will best match their date’s. For others, the struggle is in staying up late enough to enjoy the festivities of after prom. But for members of the Junior Class Board, there is much more to do, and much more to plan. 

With their hands in almost every facet of the night of prom, from decorations to food, and even in budgeting, members of JCB, like junior Cali Wisdom, have a lot riding on their shoulders. 

“At the beginning of [preparations], my role was to reach out to corporations that were going to be helping us with prom preparations,” Wisdom said. 

As time has passed and prom preparations draw to a close, Wisdom, who is the Head Decorator, is in the works of bringing her part of this production to perfection. 

“I coordinate with all of the people that have to do with decor– I’ve had to email light letter, balloon, and tablecloth sellers, and am now going online and finding more decorations that fit this year’s theme,” Wisdom said.

Every Monday after school, Wisdom and her fellow JCB members, including junior Thanks Ndichafah, meet to discuss their progress. 

“As a member of the invitations preparation section, we designed various invitations and had our fellow JCB members vote on whichever ones they liked,” Ndichafah said. “Along with our Monday discussions, we have an iMessage group that we text each other on to figure out what we’re doing and how things are going.”

These Monday meetings are more than just discussion, though. Junior Shalom Manyara and her teammates, who are members of the activity section of the JCB, introduce and present their ideas to the attendees of these meetings. 

“At these meetings, we bring our ideas and we then vote [as a group] to decide on each other’s preparations. These meetings entail a lot of discussion and we receive a lot of input from our fellow members,” Manyara said. 

In tandem with the publicity that Ndichafah and others in the invitations group provide for prom, secrecy takes place as Manyara and her fellow activity group members prepare to create a Saturday night to remember. 

“Although this year’s events are still a surprise, my partners and I are coordinating fun activities to make prom more than just dancing in a room,” Manyara said. 

As a group, and in Manyara’s section as well, multiple factors must be considered in creating an amazing experience for all attendees. 

“Lights, colors, decorations, and much more come into consideration as we plan and prepare for the activities that prom will have,” Manyara said.

With their hands in many of the facets of prom, Wisdom, Ndichafah, and Manyara are missing two more important facets of prom–food and social media preparations, managed and covered by junior Riya Pawar. 

“A lot of my job is asking the public what they want for prom, and about any ideas they might have for our prom playlist and for spirit week,” Pawar said. 

Acting as a user interface for the general public to have a say in the goings-on at prom, Pawar, who is a JCB Officer takes her groups through the preparations.

“Although some of our suggestions aren’t as popular as others, the members of JCB are very committed, and it works out very nicely,” Pawar said. 

As busy students in their third years of high school, members of the Junior Class Board have set aside time to attend to their work weekly in order to promote, prepare, and plan for this year’s Masquerade Ball.