The Los Banos High School Prom kicked off on April 13 at Cotton Tree Ranch, in Dos Palos, California.
My night was filled with ups and downs as it was not the ideal prom, but I made the most of it to the fullest extent. We met at the high school at 4:30 p.m. for check in and searches. After this was done, we waited for the buses to come. The transportation was very unorganized as there were only three buses to transport approximately 350 people. Unfortunately for myself, I did not make it onto the first trip so that led to me waiting for almost two hours for the buses to go to Dos Palos and return for the next group of students. The fact that we did not have more buses for transportation was really upsetting due to the wait times not only going to prom but leaving as well.
The venue was not the worst in the world as it was a very furnished and refurbished barn. The inside was decorated in a Spring theme, and we were also served complimentary drinks. There were photo booths for pictures and a DJ as well. Unfortunately, there was no scheduled time for the meal. Students who arrived first to the venue were able to eat and even received second helpings. This was prior to the rest of the group arriving at the venue.
Once, I got into line for food, there was barely anything for us to eat. The caterers were rationing food for everyone. Unfortunately, the food was pretty much ice cold. We were served tri-tip, grilled chicken, pasta, rigatoni, and salad. It had also been raining all day, which ultimately canceled my photo plans with my date. We fortunately set up our own photo background and were able to take pictures, but the fact that the coordinators did not look into the weather the day of our prom was a very poor decision on their part. It made everything very difficult and set up a lot of obstacles that we had to overcome. If they did this they could have canceled reservations and pushed prom back to a later date, which I don’t think anyone else would have minded.
But other than all of this commotion, I tried to make the most of my night and enjoy it as much as possible. We had a lot of fun dancing and socializing with everyone at prom, although, we had these circumstances it was still a very beautiful venue. The DJ and music choices were not the best because they would only play their music and would not take song requests. I hope that others do not have to experience this like we had to and that the coordinators can plan properly for the years to come.
