East Peoria Community High School’s decision to spend $20,000 to have its prom at Embassy Suites for the second year in a row may not seem like a pressing issue to most.
Like superintendent Cliff Cobert said, the staff there was very accommodating to students on their special night last year, and it supports a well-known business in the community
However, in this economic climate when businesses, organizations and families have scaled back to the utmost degree, spending $20,000 for one night may have some community members thinking twice.
While most schools are forced to host their prom at out-of-school venues due to lack of adequate space, the perfect alternative for the school next year is right under their nose: the new cafeteria that will seat 600 students.
Floor-to-ceiling windows, drop-down screens for multi-media use and a new sound system are just a few of the amenities the room offers.
“The space in the new cafeteria would be large enough they could do that. It certainly would be less expensive,” Cobert said. “When I was in high school, we did have prom in the gym. It wasn’t all that bad.”
Cobert brought up a good point. Having prom inside the school walls would be a throwback to a time when the event was less about glitz and glam and more about being with your friends.
It would also take the stress off the prom committee trying to raise thousands of dollars in just a few short months so students can enjoy an “elegant” event.
Even more cumbersome is the fact the committee agreed to a corporate sponsorship from Sun Seekers Tanning in Creve Coeur.
While the school was hesitant to agree to the tanning business sponsorship, as well as post flyers around the school, principal Paul Whittington said they saw it more as a donation to the committee.
But, a school should not have to rely on a corporate sponsorship for an event like prom.
Megan Beecham, prom coordinator and science teacher at the high school, said a survey will be given to students at the end of the year to determine the future of their prom.
After all, it is their evening, she said. But, maybe the decision should not be up to the students, especially since the junior class was short on its fundraising efforts this year, causing prom tickets to increase from $40 to $50.
When it comes to where to hold prom, sophomore Sarah Wegman said she would have to wait until the new addition is revealed to the public.
“It will be a blast either way,” she said.
Brentny Brown, a senior at the high school, said she really enjoyed having prom at Embassy Suites.
When asked what she would think about it moving into the cafeteria, she said, “I think it would be neat. Sometimes it is better to have things at home. You never know.”
Because the district has put forth so much effort into the new addition, I think administrators, faculty and students should be open to having prom there.
A $20,000 evening does not seem worth it in the end.
East Peoria, Ill. —
