Students will no longer just read about the elegance of the 1920s through “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald on pages, but soon will be able to immerse themselves in it at prom.
This year the prom theme is, “A Night at Gatsby’s” and will be held on Saturday, April 26 at Lake Chalet Seafood Bar and Grill in Oakland. The doors will be open from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m, with the dance eventually ending at 11:30 p.m. Students who want to leave the dance before then will not be allowed back into the venue. Woodside provides only single tickets, but students are allowed to purchase a ticket for a guest. If they choose to do so, it has to be an underclassman or a non-Woodside high school student, and they have to get a guest pass. The passes can be picked up in D-7 or the school website, and turned in to their respective Administrative Vice Principal (AVP) for approval. They are due Tuesday, April 1, 2025 by 4 p.m.
“I’m reading ‘The Great Gatsby’ in English, and I think it’s a really pretty theme,” prom committee member Catherine Blume said. “Me and Margot, that was the one we decided. We didn’t even really have any other options.”
Although the theme isn’t in this time period, Woodside’s dress code still applies. It is also suggested that students bring, if relevant, a guest pass slip, school ID, ticket receipt and an appetite.
“I’m really excited for the food,” Blume said. “It’s a foodie prom, and we actually sampled the food that was there, and it’s so good. Just remember to not eat before, because we are provided with a lot of food.”
Food and drinks are going to be included with the ticket price. The tickets for the dance began selling March 24, and will continue out of D-7 during brunch, lunch and after-school for up to 15 minutes until April 4. Students should purchase tickets soon because tickets will not be sold at the door.
“It’s key to know that we are raising a lot of money through a lot of the fundraisers that we have been doing throughout this school year,” Blume said. “Even though these prom tickets may look pretty pricey, we did lower the cost by quite a lot.”
From March 24 to 25, Woodside students could have bought tickets for $110 and $120 for guests. During March 26 to 31, Woodside students can buy them for $120 and $130 for guests. Eventually, prices will rise to $125 for students and $135 for guests from April 1 to 4, which is the last day tickets are available. Student activities accepts cash and credit cards, but no checks. There will be a wide variety of food options for students.
“We’re planning to have a bunch of different sliders,” Blume said. “The sliders are really good. We’re having this Cuban sandwich, which is so good. We also have popcorn chicken. We’re gonna have an unlimited food taco bar, two dessert stands and teriyaki chicken.”
There will be a variety of attractions and activities for students not only interested in food and dancing.
“I think most people will be excited that we have a photo booth, and the venue is really nice,” Blume said. “It’s on the water, and we also have a caricature [artist], a karaoke stand [and] two dessert bars. So if you don’t want to dance, there’s just a lot of other things that can occupy you.”
The venue is located on Lake Merritt, and was decided on last year. According to Blume, prom venues are hard to book, with some schools even booking them years in advance. She said this venue looked the best out of all the options, especially because it is pretty and they can have food.
“I think our unique venue kind of brings a lot more diversity [because] maybe not a lot of students have really gone to Oakland in their daily lives,” prom committee member Lucas Rich said. “It’s a good chance for them to go outside their comfort zone.”
Due to the limited parking, students are not allowed to drive themselves, and they have to be dropped off and picked up. Rich suggests possibly a party bus or limo to solve this issue.
“Some difficulties that we encountered were that, because we’re not allowed to drive ourselves, we had to find a way [to get there],” Blume said. “Not everyone can get a bus, so Woodside is providing a bus for students who can’t get a ride. Then [another difficulty] with just hyping up this prom, because a lot of kids are discouraged that it’s in Oakland, but it’s really not that much farther than San Francisco.”
Students who want to take a bus from Woodside to the venue can sign up using this link.
“I’m just really excited to see what the vibes are gonna be like [at prom],” Rich said. “[We can] see all this work that we’ve been putting into it come to fruition.”
