Prom night has always been a beloved tradition in high schools around the world, marking a significant moment for students in wrapping up their high school journey. This year’s ‘A Night of a Thousand Lights’ prom at San Juan Capistrano Mission is a bright example of the joy, excitement, and buzz that comes with these events. This year’s prom stands out not only for its glitz and celebration but also for how it outshines last year’s 2024 prom. It’s important to grasp what made this year’s event better as we look at what it means for future school events.

With a line separating the girls and boys, students entered the mission, where the initial check-in and pat down occurred.  There were mixed reactions from the guests about how this process went. However, the overall reaction from the director’s perspective was that it was not as bad as people mentioned. There was a slight problem because some of the guests were not signed into 5-Star, so it took a little bit longer to check those guests in. Students want administrators to find a way to be able to make it a faster check-in process for next year, specifically for the guests so that they don’t have to wait as long to get in.

“I think the process can work, but it needs some tweaking before being used again,” said Nigel Kelly (12).

After entering the mission, the guests walked into the middle courtyard where there was a variety of activities available. Those activities included a photo booth, tables where you could play cards, a snack booth, a dance floor with a DJ, and many more areas with enough seating for everyone around the outside. The mission itself was very beautiful, with its traditional courtyard design, common in California missions, featuring four structures around a central area. The architecture of the mission showcases a mix of European and local styles, using materials such as stone and adobe.

“I like the mission they chose for the event, it was very pretty. I also like the activities they had, it was very unique in the great scene,” said Sam Frausto (12).

The royal court of the night was also announced, voted on by students hoping to get their friends on the podium. Congratulations to Alex Way (12) and Sophia Barnett (12) for being this year’s prom king and queen.

The overall review of the night screams out that it was an absolute success. The students and guests saw a major improvement from last year. Some of the things remembered about last year‘s prom was that it was slow, the DJ wasn’t on par with what the students were looking for, and the location made it hard to have things spread out.

“My main goal was to make sure that the students had a fun atmosphere and a fun environment while being safe at the same time,” said Activities Director Mr. Randy Reams.

He’s hoping that successful elements from this year’s prom will be carried over into next year, hopefully with expansion and adding a couple new activities for students in mind. Although plans haven’t been thought out enough to know what those activities are gonna be yet, planners are  finding more activities to make it more enjoyable for the students.

“There wasn’t anything that I wanted to change, it’s more of an add on. More activities please,” said Frausto. “As much as I like the activities we had, more would be great.”

The student body claims that the format they had was pretty good. It’s a great starting point, just as long as the trajectory keeps going up. A lot of issues from the previous year were improved on too. Better DJ, better area, fun activities, and many more. It brought the overall energy up.

“Last year’s prom wasn’t terrible, but with the promotion hype it had, it kinda was a letdown,” said Kelly “I think the issue was the overall atmosphere being low energy, which they fixed this year. Also, I think having those polls on aspects for the prom that students could answer worked because it made the prom feel more like an ‘us’ thing.”

This year’s ‘A Night of a Thousand Lights’ Prom not only celebrated the culmination of high school, but also showcased significant improvements over last year’s event, highlighting the importance of student feedback in creating a vibrant and enjoyable atmosphere. As the school looks ahead, the success of this prom sets a promising foundation for future events, emphasizing the value of innovation and engagement in fostering memorable experiences.

“I got a lot of feedback and I do feel like we accomplished it,” said Mr. Reams.