The class of 2027’s prom, held on Lake Merritt in Oakland, on April 18 was indoor-outdoor with the dance floor on a dock. The theme was Cabo Nights!
This location and venue intrigued many, as it was a departure from previous years of smaller, more compact venues with limited space. Mixed feelings and opinions surrounded the event, with some who had a great experience, and others who have some notes.
Junior Cayley Chang was dancing all night, “If you didn’t enjoy prom it was because you were sitting in a corner on your phone.” Chang said she heard negative comments, but only from people who didn’t participate. “My only criticism was the venue being too spread out. It felt very dispersed.” The indoor-outdoor experience offers more activities in theory, but many noticed that with a game room, gambling area, and dance floor in three separate areas, the event felt secluded or empty.
Junior Nora Lawrence also danced, “The DJ needed to play better songs sooner because when he did, everyone started dancing. I think the seating areas needed to be one.” The tables for dinner were not assigned as they were at past proms and many were upset at the distance between the three separate seating areas. Some sat outside while others were inside, and tables were too small for many groups to sit together. However, the food was well received. “The tater tots were great!” Lawrence added.
Junior Class Officers Krish Srivastiva and Mia Beraudo gave a behind the scenes explanation of how prom was organized. Beraudo said, “As class officers, we decide on the theme, food, and we manage the playlist that goes to the DJ.” In addition, Srivastiva explained how the theme was selected, “We chose Cabo Nights because of the food selection. The taco buffet was the best, so the theme came from the dinner.” Srivastiva also made a point to emphasize the tater tots, which have turned out to be one of the more memorable features from prom. In addition, the class officers managed which songs were selected for prom. “There was a song request form posted on Instagram, but we didn’t regulate it which explains why so many people thought the songs could’ve been better.” Srivastiva noted. This form allowed anyone to submit any song as many times as they wanted. Srivastiva compared many of the tracks to ‘edit songs’ found on Tiktok. Beraudo on the other hand highlighted the positive side of the song submission form, “it was awesome to see everyone hearing songs they got to choose at prom”.
Beraudo elaborated on the work that went on between class officers and parent volunteers. “Parents were in charge of the venue, vendors, and budget. They also did a great job setting up.” Beraudo wished the class officers were given more responsibilities, as they’re “the bridge between the junior class and parent organizers.”
In addition to music and tater tots, there was a canoe! A “grand entrance” staged by Teemu Miller and Russel Gherig, the juniors canoed into prom instead of taking the bus. As Miller pulled into prom, he was met by a crowd of students, as well as faculty to escort him out. Miller commented on the whole situation, “the canoe belongs to my dad. When Russel and I heard the venue was on a lake we decided it would be fun to canoe.” Both juniors planned to sneak into prom post-canoe, but unfortunately they had a crowd. “It ruined any chance of being discreet. I don’t regret it though.” Administration removed both Miller and Gherig from the event due to disruption.
The class of 2027 enjoyed their prom, “The DJ was unique, but the tater tots were amazing!” Lawrence summarized.
