Starting with next year’s incoming freshmen, Prom fundraising will no longer be reserved for just senior year.

“We have suggested that the individual classes, starting with freshmen and continuing through seniors, need to take a larger part in funding this event. Fundraisers need to be organized throughout the four years so that enough money can be set aside to pay for a large portion of the event,” Patriot Parent Association (PPA) President Mark Lazoff said.

Currently, the PPA helps the senior class fundraise for Prom, primarily in regards to the After-Prom event.

According to Principal Madelyn Ball, the fundraising plan for the incoming freshman class is to set aside a certain amount of money every year to get ahead of fundraising for Prom come senior year.

“In three years, it would be nice if every class came into their senior year already with three or four thousand dollars in the pot. Then you [the students] can still have your fundraisers in your senior year to also get it [the price of Prom tickets] down, but it is getting more and more and more expensive everywhere for Prom,” Ball said.

“The more they [the incoming freshman] do now, the less it will cost [them] when they’re seniors,” Ball said.

“Each class should have a plan … If you want to raise that amount of money to put towards your Prom and put some money towards going to Hershey Park, that’s fine,” Ball said. The freshman class trip to Hershey Park is the main expenditure of the class.

Tying in with the new fundraising plan for incoming freshman is the fact that the PPA will no longer be heavily funding the After-Prom event as they have for previous senior classes.

“Unfortunately, I cannot answer how much money will be allocated for the Prom next year or how any revenue collected by the PPA will be distributed. This will be up to my successor and their executive committee. A budget is formed and voted on within the first two meetings of the school year and then carried out,” Lazoff said.

“The PPA has funded almost the entire After-Prom in years past, which was over 30 percent of our budget. Since the closing of the ESPN Zone, we have been scrambling the past two years to find a venue that would accommodate the needs of the senior class as well as being a fiscally responsible option for the PPA,” Lazoff said.

Despite the financial changes, Lazoff assures that no harmful changes will be made in regards to the actual After-Prom event.

“I want to emphasize that, no matter what happens with the future funding, the safety of the student is our number-one priority. This is the purpose of this event [After-Prom],” Lazoff said.

 Grace Kim is Online Chief for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.