Editor’s note: Additional reporting in the story was provided by Emma Short, Carlos Esquivel and Prisila Espinoza.

Prom tickets will go on sale starting March 20 for $70 and will have a $5 increase every week closer to prom, which will be held at the Hyatt Regency at Terminal C at the DFW Airport on April 22 from 6:30-11 p.m.

During lunch, students with an ID will be able to purchase their tickets with cash or card in room G144. Only junior and senior students are allowed to purchase tickets. If their dates are freshmen or sophomores, a student from a different school, or a non-student under the age of 21, a “date form” will be required to be filled out.

On the day of prom, tickets will be $100 cash only at the door and only juniors or seniors with an LHS student ID will be admitted. All pre-purchased tickets include the prom meal which will be served at 7 p.m. Late arrivals are not guaranteed a meal. The menu will consist of a salad course with romaine lettuce and mixed greens topped with feta cheese, strawberries, sesame seeds and nuts with a dressing choice of ranch or raspberry vinaigrette. A beef entree will follow with sides of broccolini and smashed potatoes. The dessert course will be a choice of a fruit tart or a triple-layered chocolate cake. 

All the foods were chosen by the junior class officers who visited the venue on Feb. 21 to decide what would be served.

“As soon as we got there, we started measuring [the ballroom for decorating] so we built an appetite pretty quick,” junior class president Kimberly Arellano said. “When we finally got to eat, we got this reserved booth at the very back of the restaurant. It was very nice and closed off, and the chefs were really nice to us. As soon as I tried the salad that we picked I was like, ‘This is the salad we have to have.’”

The theme will be “Celestial: A night under the stars,” which was voted on by the junior class. The junior class officers are still finalizing decoration ideas, but they will include a number of backgrounds for photo opportunities. The event will also have a formal dress code. A variety of prom dresses are available free of charge. Students can stop by room G144 to check them out while they last.

“We try to do things as nice as possible so that people remember this,” junior class adviser Dan Moser said. “Juniors and seniors only have that opportunity to go two times in [their] lives, so that’s why we do what we can to make it as nice as we can for everyone.”

Also provided for attendees will be a keepsake memory booklet with information about the evening, and access to two 360 degree photo booths. Prom royalty will be recognized during the night, and the king and queen will be crowned after dinner. Students will vote for the king and queen as they enter the event.  A variety of music from genres including rap, R&B and Spanish music will be provided by James Hall of DFW ProDJs who has entertained students at the past few prom and homecoming dances.

“I’m really excited for the music because it can make or break the night,” junior class vice president Ayrica Jones said.

Travel to the Hyatt Regency will include going through a toll booth at the airport. Moser advised students to be sure and pass through the toll lane named “Ticket only.” They will receive another ticket when they leave the dance to use with the first one so they won’t be charged a toll. For those concerned about parking, there will be a parking garage if students go through the correct line reserved for prom attendees.

In order to make this event happen, a lot of work has been put in behind the scenes by the junior class.

“It’s new to all of us, really,” Arellano said. “Juniors always plan it, so we have to consult our seniors a lot, so it’s been a little difficult since they’re busy themselves.”

But asking for help isn’t the only challenge the junior class has faced while planning. Finding volunteers to help set up and clean up, and paying for the event are crucial aspects of putting on prom.

“The hands putting it together and the money in my view are the two biggest obstacles we have,” Moser said.

Moser added that these factors determine the price of prom tickets, which he noted are less expensive than other schools in the area. Moser said the venue and the food alone can cost between $48,000-50,000.

“[The price of] everything has gone up, and our goal is to break even,” Moser said. “We’re not doing prom to make money, because it all comes back on [the students]. We try to sell the cheapest tickets we can, and we go from there. We can’t lose any money, otherwise [we’re] not going to have a junior class with any funds to put on a prom without charging the students a lot of money.”

The $70 price will be available until March 24, then tickets will increase to $75 from March 27-31. Price increases to $80 from April 3-17. After that, students will only be able to purchase tickets at the door for the final price. 

There will be some rules for attendees including the formal attire, and all students will have to breathe into a passive alcohol sensor before entering and leaving prom to ensure no one has been drinking.

Arellano said “the experience overall” is the reason to attend prom.

“We all just get to relax for one night and let loose, come together, and have a nice little party atmosphere and dance,” Arellano said.

Jones added that prom is one of the last ‘big events’ of the school year.

“It’s not the last event for seniors, but it’s the last closing to their high school years because they only get to go junior and senior year,” Jones said. “It’s a good thing for seniors to enjoy themselves a lot.”