Juniors prepare for prom

By BERNARD RIVERA
MV Teen Reporter

High school junior class officers have big shoes to fill.
Every year, each junior class must organize the best possible prom for the going for the outgoing seniors.
The Senior Junior Prom is the seniors’ last memory to hold and keep in that one everlasting night to be with friends and classmates—so the pressure is on to make sure it is perfect.
Four different high schools on Saipan share their ups and downs on preparing for the biggest and most memorable night.
“Financing the prom is perhaps the most daunting task,” said Paul Mauri, SSHS prom committee advisor. “The class of 2008 has been fundraising for this prom since their freshman year.”
Saipan Southern High School’s seniors chose “One Night of Romance” as their theme in this year’s prom, with midnight blue and silver as their colors.
“It will look elegant, once the ballroom will be decorated at World Resort,” said Paul. While SSHS’s prom theme is for one night, Kagman High School’s prom theme goes to eternity.
“I want this year’s prom to be a really successful one and just might possibly be the highlight of the year. Our theme is ‘Reminiscence of Eternity’, meaning that our memories should be taken with you,” said KHS prom committee chair Sonia Castro.
“Since I will be graduating this year, I need to go all out.”
From eternity, Grace Christian Academy is going instead for the adorable ‘50’s.
With great love songs and famed games, such as ‘The Dating Game’, GCA is on the rock n’ roll ride.
“The ‘50’s diner theme was requested by members of the senior class. Everyone else seemed to think that it sounded like a lot of fun. And I believe very much in the power of delegation. The sophomore and junior students who are working on this year’s prom committee are together as a one unit and coming up with the best program possible,” said Aaron Rath, GCA junior class advisor.
GCA’s prom will also be located at the World Resort. “We’re very happy about moving our prom to World Resort, they are giving us a great deal and it will be a nice change of scenery from previous years,” Rath stated.
Marianas High School’s prom will be at the south side of the island at Pacific Island Club.
“PIC, I believe, is an ideal venue for our theme because of its several physical features such as the low ceilings and several windows, and, of course, the food. It’s great, although the prom committee also faces some challenges on the small space and stage area that will be provided,” said Ann Ermitanio, MHS junior class president and prom committee member.
The relocation from dining at Magellan to dancing at Charley’s Cabaret, however, is seen by the prom committee as “something exciting, adventurous and a great way to express their creativity,” said Ermitanio. “And about our theme, we wanted this year’s prom to appeal to our fellow Senior class members, and by a nomination and election process of popular demand, the majority of the Seniors voted for an Arabian theme.”
Ermitanio continued, “Hence, the Marianas High School 2007 Jr./Sr. Prom theme is Arabian Nights: Drifting on a Dream.”
“We enjoy working with this theme because it allowed us to have fun and be creative. It also gives us a learning opportunity about the Middle Eastern countries,” she said.
With an immense workload to create a dream-like atmosphere for the prom’s success, the committee faces the challenge of delegating tasks.
“It seems as if the prom committee is rarely stable. People would come in and out of the committee all the time. For those who actually attend most or all of the meetings, their attendances are appreciated. However, the intensity of the workload is not evenly distributed throughout the prom committee,” Ermitanio explains.
“We have some who barely do anything, and a minor fraction who do everything else. Nonetheless, I believe that our prom committee members can pull this off. I see a lot of potential in this group because it is filled with innovative, enthusiastic, and intelligent juniors who definitely can make this prom the best one ever held in Saipan. Through hard work, team work, and organization, we can reach our goals,” she said.
Being a part of a prom committee includes responsibility as well as a great learning process for anyone.

Fabulous everyday: It’s PROM!

By BERNARD RIVERA
MV Teen Reporter

There is the moment in a teenage girl’s life when she feels like a young woman, perhaps for the first time—and that is at prom night.
Just how Cinderella transforms herself at the royal ball, hundreds of female teenagers will be preparing themselves for a memorable night and it starts with a beautiful gown.
Fabulous Everyday takes a close look at what two popular boutiques have to offer for prom night with a degree of beauty, class, simplicity and elegance.
The recently opened Iridescent, managed by Michelle Lin, at the Joeten Hafa Adai Center in Garapan and the popular Pena House Boutique, managed by Mary Lin, in Chalan Kanoa offers a large selection for prom night for men and women.
Iridescent welcomes its customers to feel comfortable and makes it easy to shop because of the arrangement of the clothing. “Accessories and the clothes are organized by colors,” said sales associate Michelle Camacho.
“Iridescent means displaying a play of lustrous colors like those of the rainbow. This boutique offers high up to date fashion and we have a large selection of accessories,” Camacho said. “We give local customers 10% off on clothing and sandals. We have new arrivals on a few casual tops, dresses, and accessories such as purses, wallets, necklaces, bracelets, headbands, and earrings,” Camacho continues. “As for men’s wear, we sale Choke Chain T-shirts.”
“Pena House opened its doors in the late 80’s, and we have always wanted our customers to feel comfortable. We try to make their shopping experience as easy as possible,” said Malou Cabigao, an employee of Pena House. “We organize the store with updated fashion and style.”
The name Pena House was from “Mrs. Mary Lin. She got the name Pena House from Bangkok, Thailand. She was inspired by using the name and also, Pena House actually is brand name of a famous apparel in Thailand,” Cabigao explained.
Pena House also gives local customers 10% discount on clothing and sandals and is always updating their stocks, which includes women’s wear, maternity, bridal, and special occasion gowns, as well as men’s wear, casual and formal. Pena House also offers alteration and sewing services.
Iridescent
Ariel St. Clair wears the ‘lady in red’ quote to beauty. The beautiful red dress brand is Frenzii, accompanied with a black crocodile handheld purse along with a red stilettos heels and white accessory earrings and necklace.
Jomanda Manglona displays a simple yet modern green dress with metallic style emblems by Piace. Manglona accompanies the dress with strappy high-heeled stilettos.
Ariel models the “glam” dress from Iridescent, a beautiful flowered gown that reaches down the floor in velvet silk. The colored flowers and black dress is perfect for females who love authenticity and realism in what they wear. It is complemented with a red-jeweled flower for her hair as well as a red stoned necklace and white leathered hand-handled purse. She finalizes the look with a sewn-heeled shoe.
Pena House Boutique
Jomanda wears a pinked fluffed dress with encrusted beads by Cicci.
Ariel wears two gowns. One is a classic beauty black dress by Fanny Fashion. The silk material gown is accompanied with Blossoms Collection stilettos with diamond chandelier earrings and a pearled necklace.
The other gown is a clear blue sky diamond encrusted gown along with blue diamond chandelier earrings.