Junior Class Enjoys Formal

The Junior Class officers have worked hard to raise the funds needed to enjoy the many highlights of their senior year.

In the months leading up to April, Junior Class President Lincoln Boyes, Vice President Jeslyn Paulino, Treasurer Naomi Wei, Secretary Makayla Albert, and Class Representative Emma Gryzwinski turned their focus on organizing and preparing for their Junior Formal.

This year’s event took place in the gymnasium on Friday, April 4th with the theme “Under the Stars.” “We had a lot of collaborative meetings throughout the year trying to figure out what we thought our grade would like best,” said Wei. “A lot of time was spent brainstorming ideas, but ultimately we thought this theme was unique from what was done in previous years.”

The class officers dedicated hours to making sure everything is perfect. “We started thinking about the dance around this time last year, and [we] met almost every day during lunch,” said Wei. “Collectively we’ve spent upwards of forty hours in total,” said Boyes. “It’s been extremely stressful for each of us, but we pulled through.”

But as with anything, there were bound to be a few setbacks along the way. ”There were a few hiccups due to the stress of so many events; time management, organization, and communication were big issues for us as a team,” said Wei. “At some point we realized that we needed to be more on top of things,” said Boyes. “We worked on individual issues, and resolved a lot of matters as a team.”

“These are a good group of students,” said Joseph Cremona, the Junior class advisor. “They are dedicated, hardworking, and take their jobs seriously. I look forward to seeing their hard work being realized.”

From music to catering, about $7,000 was spent on preparing for the Formal, but one officer in particular had reservations about the night. “Students not wanting to come to formal was a big concern for me,” said Wei. Throughout the weeks leading up to the deadline to purchase tickets, less than half the grade had paid, causing anxiety for Wei as she “worried that [they] had worked so hard for nothing.” But in the end the junior class showed up, and ultimately sold 217 tickets, for a total of $16,275.

With about $9,000 in profit that goes towards next year’s Prom and project Graduation, the class officers are feeling good about the upcoming event. With both a stationary and a 360° photo booth to offer the attendees, the officers planned a night to remember. ”[I was] excited to see it all come together,” said Boyes, “from an organizer’s perspective I really want[ed] this to go well. I want[ed] to attend the event and appreciate it. Seeing everything we’ve worked on come to fruition [was] so rewarding for us.”