Taking the students back into a world of glitz and glamor, Diamond Bar High School’s 2024 prom rewinds time back to the Roaring Twenties. Thanks to the Class of 2025 advisors, officers and committee members, prom proved to be a major success amongst the students.
The officers and advisors first began to prepare for the event by scouting out the perfect venue months prior that would carry the students to the years of jazz and prosperity. Prom was eventually decided to be hosted at the Santa Anita Race Track, where the class of 2019’s prom event was also held.
“We came up with multiple ideas that we thought fitted the venue, including ‘The Great Gatsby,’ the Golden Age of Hollywood, the Art Deco, and the Roaring 20s,” junior vice president Grace Wen said. “These themes were all very similar, so we decided to fuse them together into the theme ‘Gilded in Gold.’”
After selecting a venue and a theme, committee members and officers were free to start working on other aspects of the event. They began planning advertising strategies, ticket sales, lunchtime activities, decoration ideas and more.
On the day of the event, upon entering the venue, students were immediately greeted by flappers and paparazzi. These paparazzi, who were hired by the venue, acted like desperate fans of the students, begging to take photos with them. The venue itself was decorated beautifully, perfectly capturing the environment of the 1920s, using shimmering gold accents and cascading strands of pearls.
Inspired by the Roaring 1920s, the officers strove to capture the ambience of vintage parties. The lights were turned down dim and the music choices reflected the vibe they were trying to capture.
In addition to the stunning decorations, attendees were also free to indulge in the vast assortment of appetizers and desserts, ranging from savory caprese salads to desserts such as ice cream, brownies and dragon’s breath popcorn, which were popcorn dyed in a variety of colors.
“Instead of a full meal, we had appetizers and deserts so that students could spend more time with their friends and enjoy the different activities that were provided in the venue,” junior class historian Kaitlyn Liu said.
Prom also offered a diverse array of activities; attendees were able to have their caricatures drawn and their palms read. There also included entertainment provided by a magician throughout the evening, who went around showing guests magic tricks such as making a card vanish into thin air. Lastly, the photo booths and flip books offered to students allowed them to capture memorable moments.
“The planning of prom was definitely stressful, but it was definitely worth the work,” Liu said. “I had so much fun dancing with my friends and seeing the smiles on others’ faces.”
Although stressful, the hard work and dedication of the committee paid off, as they perfectly enveloped the vibe of the 1920s, managing to create memorable experiences for the students.
“Planning prom was one of my most enjoyable moments, as I was working with the other officers, prom committee members, and the advisers after school to create decoration pieces and seeing everything start to come together,” Wen said. “If we’re talking about prom night, my most enjoyable moment of prom was seeing everything put together and everyone enjoying the evening.”