Junior prom will be held next Friday, April 25. Prom is planned and fundraised for every year by that year’s class officers. The 2026 class officers include President Addison Lowry (11, J&C), Vice President Chase Colvin (11, HSU), Secretary Adaora Ozor (11, MST), Treasurer Tammy Truong (11, VA), Historian Semaiah Robertson (11, YPAS) and Parliamentarian Vaughn Ramirez (11, MST). But what actually goes into being class officers and planning prom?
At the start of slate week, when slates campaign, explain their vision for the year, Lowry was excited about the prospect of making a difference at Manual and after learning about the process, she decided that she wanted to run in a group with her friends.
“We all decided that we wanted to do it together… I’m really into government and stuff, so I think it aligned with what I wanted to do in the future,” Lowry said.
Similarly, Robertson was looking forward to participating in the decision making process at Manual. For all slates, campaign week involved spreading awareness about their platforms via social media and in person. Slates brought donuts, energy drinks and popsicles to school in an effort to reach more students. Voting was in September, and Slate 2 was victorious, becoming class officers.
“I think a big lesson that I learned during campaign week was to be kind. It was really cutthroat… obviously you want to win. I thought it was really rewarding because campaign week was so much. I just felt so fulfilled after everything that week had brought. It was just very stressful and I was glad to see that it paid off,” Lowry said.
Throughout the year, the class officers’ main job is to plan prom. The money for prom comes from class fees that every student pays, and the officers are expected to make that money back through the sale of prom tickets.
“Prom planning is super stressful but very rewarding. We had to figure out fun themes and better ways to make prom more enjoyable. I think people underestimate how hard it is to find reliable and affordable vendors for prom,” Robertson said.
One of the officers’ main priorities with the planning was making sure that the student body had a voice. They used their Instagram platform to garner theme suggestions from the juniors and then held votes for things like the theme and decor elements. The process was not always easy. They faced issues regarding the organization of the event, and wanted to make reasonable ticket prices a priority.
“I would say a big challenge that we faced as a group would be getting everything off the ground since we were so new to everything. We had to rely heavily on the previous officers and class sponsors [who] were a big help. Even though we haven’t had prom yet, I would say it’s been extremely rewarding being able to work with the group,” Lowry said.
Prom is set for April 25 at Mellwood Art Center. The theme is “Tangled/Enchanted Garden,” and the officers have acquired decorations and food for the event. While they are overall satisfied with the results of prom planning, they have more plans for the future of the class of 2026. They will run for re-election in the fall of the 2025-2026 school year.
“I hope to have more class activities next year. This year was harder to do with how much school we’ve missed. I hope to help bond the class of 2026 with fun class activities because it’ll make senior year more enjoyable for everyone,” Robertson said.
As the class of 2026 looks toward prom and senior year, these students work to represent the voices of every member of the class. Overall, Lowry and Robertson are satisfied with all they’ve accomplished this year and have bonded throughout the process.
“I’m happy with how the year turned out as a whole. I’m also happy with the friendships I’ve made with the class officers and couldn’t imagine running with anyone else,” Robertson said.
