Prom planning part of fun

Prom is not to be taken lightly when it’s a junior’s first experience or senior’s last.

The Lakeview Junior Senior High, Columbus High and Scotus Central Catholic prom planning committees, comprised of staff members and junior students, started organizing their magical nights as far back as six months ago.

The Scotus and CHS proms land on April 16 and Lakeview's is April 23, a date selected by the availability of facilities.

“We look at the calendar and that’s that,” said Michelle Watson, who is leading the CHS prom committee for the 25th straight year.

Watson said the date must fit around holidays, athletic events, recitals and other activities.

“Whatever date is open is the date prom is," she said.

The local schools have different ways of planning their events.

While the expected price tag for the CHS prom is about $2,000, Scotus’ budget is double that amount.

The Scotus prom runs for about five hours, catering to a little more than 180 students in the school’s cafeteria. The Lakeview and CHS events take place in the school gymnasiums, with Lakeview's lasting four hours and including about 200 students and more than 550 students attending CHS' three-hour prom.

Scotus pours most of its budget into serving a meal and providing disc jockey entertainment, leaving students on the planning committee with just enough funds to get creative while designing and making their own decorations. This year’s decorations will follow a "Great Gatsby" theme.

“It’s going to be that classy '20s look, art deco style,” said Deb Ohnoutka, who’s been in charge of prom planning at Scotus for three years. “We create a timeline to make sure everything gets done before the 1st of April.”

CHS runs things a little differently. With the school not hosting a meal, the planning committee focuses its budget on the DJ, snacks and creating an enchanted wonderland with premade decorations ordered online.

To fit with tradition, the theme of the decorations are kept secret until the week of the event. Until then, the committee is given certain fake themes to throw inquisitive seniors off their trail.

Lakeview's budget covers a predance meal at Shadows restaurant, sheriff's deputies who watch over the event and decorations, which are set to a "Roaring Red Carpet" theme this year.

“I am always impressed with the young men and women on this evening and how they transform into respectful ladies and gentlemen,” said Lakeview junior class sponsor Kelly Schaad.

While CHS and Scotus hire a DJ for entertainment, Schaad discovered a cheaper route last year by having the school’s dance team run the music playlist.

“That worked really well,” Schaad said, and it's part of the plan again this year.

Fundraising for each school is also different.

Scotus raises money at the beginning of the year by selling magazines then uses student fees to cover the remaining costs.

CHS uses only student fees and prom ticket sales, with each ticket costing $12.50.

Watson said fundraising can’t be the main funding source for prom anymore.

A few years back CHS sold raffle tickets in February to prepare for the April event, but that was nixed by state gambling laws, according to Watson.

“I’m not exactly sure how that worked, I just know we don’t do that anymore,” she said.

Scotus and CHS use volunteer police officers to check students for alcohol use before they enter prom.

There can also be paperwork for attendees.

A date from another school must have an official from their school write a letter of recommendation before they can be approved to attend prom.

Then there are the outfits.

According to practicalmoneyskills. students in Midwest states spend the wisest on prom night, at around $835, while youths in California spend more than $1,100.

Scotus senior Amy Heusinkvelt would never dream of spending that much money. She set her budget at $300 in February to shop around for silver bridesmaid dresses uk, hairstylist and flowers.

“Prom is a crazy, somewhat stressful, but totally fun part of the high school experience,” Heusinkvelt said. “It’s a night to forget about the schoolwork for a weekend and just enjoy being a teenager.”

Even with Heusinkvelt’s thoughtful planning, she’s got nothing on CHS junior Maddalynne Armstrong, who started saving and looking for a dress last summer.

“I did the whole find-the-best-possible-deal thing. It was a lot of online shopping,” said Armstrong, pulling up a Pinterest page on her iPhone to display hundreds of Cheap Wedding Dresses - jadeprom.co.uk she’s looked over.

Armstrong, a CHS prom planning committee officer, knew she was going to spend her own money on prom, and she's not willing to spend her life savings on a few hours of fashionable fun.

Her frugality paid off as she found a dress for $125, then slashed $75 from that price using a coupon.

“It was bargain shopping at its finest,” Armstrong said, adding that she picked her hairstyle and scheduled an appointment a while ago.

The one thing she doesn’t have yet is a date, but that doesn't faze her.

“It’s not about that, it’s about having fun,” Armstrong said. “Planning for prom is the best part. It’s the parts that lead up to it that matter.”