First Year Back

South El Monte High School has welcomed students back for the 2021-2022 school year with a calendar full of school spirit and events. As students adjust to life after COVID-19 difficulties, ASB slowly returns back to traditional programming. For the first time since 2019, South El Monte presented Prom 2022: Midnight Masquerade. 

Prom 2022 took place on April 9th at the Glenoaks Ballroom, in Glendale. Juniors and Seniors began piling in by 7pm, marking the start of the annual prom.

Complimentary valet services were available for students who drove, and students definitely showed out in style. Fancy cars and sparkly dresses were seen everywhere. Students walked the red carpet and security kept it all together. 

Safety is the main priority at school events, and students definitely appreciated the gesture. Bag checks and metal wands were used to ensure the safety of those attending. After clearance, students were led to the start of a memorable night. 

The Start of The Night

The ballroom’s vaulted ceilings were littered with chandeliers, giving Juniors and Seniors the ultimate glory. Tables decorated with a rose bouquet centerpiece filled the floor, and students filled the room with positive, fun-loving energy. Students were even encouraged to take the centerpieces home as a souvenir.

As students walked in, they were greeted by familiar faces. Staff served as chaperones, patrolling student safety as everyone had a good time. You could spot them on the dance floor throughout the night having fun with students. 

Photographers are essential to capture these special moments, the venue contained a photo booth where you could snap photos. Of course, attendees had to take advantage of this opportunity. Photos are available to view through a link sent to student emails. 

The most vital part of the night, the music. Once the DJ set up, he began remixing some of the latest hits. 

“I feel like the DJ could’ve improved in some areas, but I really like how he assured that different genres would be played evenly. We had hip-hop, Spanish music, and pop music equally. Students had a good time,” Senior, Martha Ramirez stated. 

Food and Desserts

The night is not complete without a favorite appetizer. 

Food was definitely a big hit for the night, catering tables had salmon, rice, fried chicken, croissants, charcuterie boards, and ham. Each table had complimentary water and soda in a pitcher. Staff refilled cups throughout the night, and kept the tables clear. Desserts contained chocolate covered pretzels and cookies. 

Fashion 

Prom’s theme for this year was Midnight Masquerade. Student’s dressed sharply, shades of blue and black were littered throughout the crowd of students. Although you’d expect to see a sea of dark hues, some students went all out in bold splashes of color. 

Fiery orange and red hues would least expect, were brought out by Giselle Trujillo. “My dress was custom made. I decided to go with red and orange because its a great color combo. My inspiration comes from the idea of fire or a phoenix.” 

Hairstyles included fancy updos and curls as well as slicked back styles. 

“I went with a personalized hairstyle, I did a high sleek ponytail with wavy ends,” said Senior Giselle Trujillo.

Martha Ramirez channels her inner Cinderella with a modern day twist. “My dress was made from a baby blue glitter material, a mermaid tail complimented my look just perfectly. I used rhinestones, thanks to Euphoria, on my hair and my off the shoulder pieces. I went with flowy waves and a sleek middle part.” 

Prom King and Queen

It’s true, we had a great list of nominees for prom court, there could only be two winners. 

Prom Queen went to Emiliana Morales. After an interview, Emiliana comes across as a person of kindness and dedication, “I advise my peers to follow this rule: If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it. I think this is extremely important, we don’t know what goes on in our peers’ lives, or what happens behind closed doors. Instead of bringing each other down, we should lift each other up.” 

Things are definitely moving for prom queen, we reflected on high school  “My greatest accomplishment in high school is my acceptance into Cal Poly Pomona. Throughout my whole life, I’ve faced struggles yet have managed to do well in school. I think this is what got me into Cal Poly. I’m going to continue my journey there, I’ll always remember all the great people I met in high school along with all the memories.”

Prom King goes to Alexis Tapia, a student full of ambition and serves to remind us of how people could get lost in the stress of life, “You can’t let anything frustrate you or challenge you because at some point, you’ll have to accept the things you cannot change. My motto? It is what it is. This quote was originally an inside joke at first, but I’ve grown to adjust to a mindset that doesn’t take life so seriously.”

Milestones throughout senior year are a perfect time to ponder life thus far, for Alexis, obstacles are no stranger, “A lot of us faced struggles in the pandemic, and a lot of obstacles were thrown at us. I’ll be the first in my family to graduate, and hopefully the first to graduate from college as well. I have plans of going to a four year, but my location is yet to be decided, I have ambitions of studying business and accounting.”

Student Input

As students recover from prom weekend, they reflect on the past year and relish in their first ever prom memories. 

“I give prom 100/10, even though I didn’t win prom king, it was still memorable. I enjoyed dancing with my friends the most. The music was a mix of American and Mexican music. Overall, I really loved prom.” Senior Alexis Ramos, prom king nominee stated. 

“Although this was only my first prom, I would rate it 10/10. My favorite part was dancing with my friends. A lot of them will be moving away soon to continue their education, so this night was definitely one for the books. The night was young and I wasn’t planning on letting one little thing bother me. This was an amazing night!” Martha Ramirez expressed.