Diamond Bar High School seniors erupted into cheers with their loved ones in the bleachers as fireworks and confetti sent off the graduating class of 2019. What most neglected to realize was that this beloved Brahma tradition cost the class committee $6,800.

Each year’s class committee is expected to organize and fundraise for various events like Senior Sunrise, Senior Picnic, Senior Spirit Day, All School Awards Night, graduation and prom.

The activities are planned through officer-led meetings and voted on by spirit committee members.

“It’s really efficient and everyone’s voices are heard,” senior Summer Wang said.

Deciding what to do with the class committee budget is a way for students to get involved, according to Wang.

“I was most excited about Senior Sunrise and deciding on the food such as hot chocolate, donuts and burritos,” Wang said. “We decided on all the things to get.”

The number of activities are all determined by both ticket sales and the money class committee manages to raise.

“We spell it out for prom because the junior class is responsible for prom,” class of 2020 adviser Latitia Thomas said. “We had to work backwards on how much we were charged for the site, how much we would sell for tickets. We ended with about $4,000 to play with, which is what we provided as extras.”

Other events such as Senior Breakfast, Senior Picnic and Awards Night also rely partially on ticket sales. The class of 2019 spent about $16,000 on various events.

Class of 2020’s estimates that it will spend about $18,000.

These expenses are an accumulation of all the little details needed, including decorations, venue prices, event programs, posters and invitations.

A major responsibility of the class committee is planning graduation.

“Graduation fireworks, the cannons that shoot off confetti, the programs, whether or not we have doves and everything related to the ceremony we pay for,” Thomas said.

The cost of May’s graduation event was around $12,000.

In order to pay what isn’t covered by ticket sales, class committee organizes various fundraising events like after-school boba sales and Chipotle fundraisers throughout the year.

Because the budget fluctuates from year to year, there has been a trend of extra money left at the end of the year, which is usually put toward a senior gift for the school.

“Mrs. Clark and I are not a big fan of making kids raise more money just to give a gift, so our gift has not been extravagant,” Thomas said.