Prom for the 2024 senior class was Sat. May 25 at the Santa Anita race track where everyone got to enjoy an exciting and thrilling night filled with fun and long-lasting memories.
“The venue was my inspiration [for prom]. When we go to pick out venues our junior year, we are given three locations to pick from. Santa Anita being one of them, has this show-stopping massive bar,” senior Kyra Smolik said. “With that in mind, I spoke with our event planner about what my idea of a modern Vegas theme could look like and it just clicked. I wanted to make sure that the theme wasn’t something cliche or unoriginal and something that hadn’t been done before at Elco.”
Prom was both outside and inside, but relatively open with a large terrace being accessible to eat on and go down towards other activities. Many were worried about the location being so far, but when they arrived they were very pleased with how nice everything looked. The overall theme for this year’s prom was Jackpot, better explained as a Vegas and Casino night. There were lots of red and black detailing through the lighting, decorations, and activities.
“[My favorite activities were] the horse and carriage, karaoke, and the photo booth,” senior Natalie Mekjian said. “It was really fun and something I will definitely remember.”
There were a multitude of activities that have been seen at other school events and others that were specific to this theme. As usual, there was a photo booth, tattoo air-brush station, Disk Jockey (DJ), food, Light-emitting diode (LED) ping pong tables, air hockey tables, and pool tables. However, to fit the jackpot theme, there was an Elvis impersonator, poker, roulette, black jake, Texas hold-’em, karaoke, and a horse and carriage. Many people had a lot of fun with these activities, especially the ones that they hadn’t been able to do before.
“I feel excited [about prom being the last big event before graduation because] it is the last stepping stone,” senior Zoey Igbinigie said. “At the same time, I’m nervous because that means everything’s really over.”
Many students loved the Elvis impersonator. It wasn’t something that many were expecting and was a nice touch on the Vegas theme. Some were worried that the food wasn’t going to be good, but it was surprisingly delicious with some of the best dishes being the chicken pesto pasta and the bread.
What was nice was the relatively large area and every corner you turn there was something to do.
Even while sitting and taking a break there was karaoke to watch and even the performers. One of the most memorable moments was the poker tables and the photo booth, there were so many social activities that it allowed people to mingle with people that they may not have spoken to before.
“The most memorable thing about prom was going with friends,” Mekjian said. “It wasn’t really about the music, location, or food, but more about the people that were there, taking pictures, having fun, and enjoying the last school event we will all be together for.”