Planning the Formal is a Year-Long Process

Planning a school formal might look effortless from the outside, but behind the scenes it takes many months of decisions, teamwork and problem-solving to bring the night to life. To truly understand what went into creating the junior formal, student council members shared their experiences, challenges and proudest moments from the planning process.

To uncover what was really happening during the months of preparation, junior Ava Vazquez, a Student Council member who has been involved since the very beginning, offered an inside look at how much work it took to shape the event students will walk into just for a few hours.

As Vasquez sees it, the first earliest and hardest hurdle was choosing the theme. Something that sounds simple until you're the ones responsible for making hundreds of students happy. “We narrowed it down to three strong themes,” she said, “but we wanted something that everyone would enjoy: something simple, fun, creative, and still within budget.” After weeks of discussion, the council landed on the Golden Gala, a theme she described as elegant and easy to build around. Perfectly hitting the balance they were looking for.

Budgeting became its own puzzle as the council wanted the night to feel special without pushing ticket prices higher than the students could afford. Vazquez explained that donations from parents and support from local businesses made a huge difference. “We were incredibly fortunate,” she reflected. “It made it much easier to stay on track financially.”

But the part of planning that demanded the most from everyone wasn't money, but teamwork, decorations, layouts and the overall atmosphere required constant collaboration. We held weekly lunch meetings to organize ideas and map out the setup together,” Vazquez said. Those meetings became the backbone of the presses, a place where they could make decisions, ideas to be tested and revised and sometimes completely reimagined. “That consistent teamwork made a huge difference,” she added. “It was one of the best decisions we made.”

What the Council wanted most was for students to feel something as soon as they entered, excitement, happiness and even awe. “We’ve put so much thought into the atmosphere,” Vazquez admitted. “We’re confident that the energy of the event will reflect that," making the goal beyond decorations but the experience they hoped students would feel.

Unlike the chaotic behind the scene stories most people would expect, Vazquez described the situation to be pleasantly smooth. “Nothing major went wrong,” she said. “We have a strong group of officers who work very well together, and that positive dynamic made everything enjoyable.” 

What might surprise students most is just how long this has been in thought and motion. 

“We’ve been planning since last summer,” Vazquez admitted. Months of organizing, weighing choices and discussing. “A lot of time and effort has gone into making this event special,” she said. “We hope everyone has an amazing time.”

While Vazquez walked us through the surface stages of planning, digging deeper With the junior class officer Noah Blasiak, he offered an insight at what happens when the work becomes detailed and hands-on.

As the Council worked together to put together a memorable night, responsibilities were divided. And to Blasiak, the key was understanding what each person naturally brought to the table. “It’s extremely important to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” he explained. Instead of forcing everyone into roles they didn't enjoy, the officers leaned into what each member was good at. “Having each person on the team working on items that they enjoy and have a talent for makes the group work much more cohesively and consistent.” The work became less about roles and more about creating a workspace that felt natural.

Blasiak understood that the event's decor was important. “Thinking about decor that would be most enjoyable for everyone was the most difficult,” he said. He admitted that it wasn't his strongest area, but he wasn't alone. “Many on our team are much better equipped in that field and have been extremely helpful," a moment where teamwork mattered more than individual skill.

Student feedback from the past also shaped their decisions. Blasiak explained that the officers attended last year's formal with a mindset of observing, not just as guests. They watched the check-in process, paid attention to the food and how the room was set up. “This painted a clear picture of what worked well and what could be improved in the future,” he acknowledged.

Not every idea survived the planning process. Some were cut because of building code restrictions, something most students never think about. “We navigated this by choosing alternate ideas that still executed similar ideas,” Blasiak said.

And like any event, even one planned by juniors isn't free from last-minute issues. “With event‑planning, there are tons of unexpected issues,” he said. “My fellow officers and I stayed calm and worked with our advisors to ensure that the event will run as smooth as possible.” guiding the council with a steady leadership that keeps everything on track.
 
His advice for next year's Council was “It’s never too late to start planning,” he said. “Have key deadlines on which certain action items should be completed by.” It's the kind of reminder that sounds obvious until you're the one staring at a long to do list and a ticking clock.

Blasiak’s view showed how much organization matters, while Samantha Bitten, another junior officer, shared her own experience, adding another layer to what it really meant to make this formal happen. 

For Bitten, planning the formal was about learning how to move as a whole. “For the most part we worked together when planning everything through our meetings,” she said. Some responsibilities naturally fell to certain people, like Noah handling communication with businesses; but, the big decisions like the theme, decorations, the DJ & catering, were made together. It matters to her that everyone had a voice in shaping the night students would walk into.

Her advice for next year's council matched Blasiak’s, but with a different urgency. “Definitely start planning early,” she warned. Even beginning at the start of junior year didn't feel like enough one deadline started piling up. She explained that the checklist they created at the end of sophomore year became their helping hand. “It helped us stay organized and on top of everything,” she explained. A small system that kept extra stress away from having fun.

When it came to challenges, Bitten had one answer: money. “The most difficult part was managing our money correctly,” she said. Every choice from catering to decorations came with an exchange.They had to constantly ask themselves what was worth spending a little extra on and what wasn't.

Not every idea held up to the budget. Some were too expensive, others too complicated, and a few simply didn't work once they tried to bring them to life. “Though we had to cut things out, it allowed us to bring new ideas in,” Bitten explained. She talks about the cuts with motivation, like they were a natural part of the plan.

And of course there were last minute issues, but Bitten described those moments with a kind of calm. If something went wrong, they met, talked it through and found the next best option. “Getting everything in our plan done early was definitely a help,” she said. It gave them a way to break things down and to keep the stress from taking over as the date got closer.

Student feedback from past formals shaped their decisions as well. “Hearing students’ feedback helped us so much,” she said. It gave them a clearer sense of what to keep, what to fix, and what to rethink entirely. Instead of guessing what students wanted, they listened and planned around it.

Taken together, the perspectives of Vazquez, Blasiak, and Bitten show just how much planning goes into a night most students will experience without thinking twice. What begins as a theme on paper becomes a room full of lights, music and people who feel welcomed as soon as they walk in. Most students only see the final result, but the work behind it, from budgeting to decor, or last minute problem solving shaped every part of the Golden Gala, and this kind of cooperation is what truly brings the night to life.