Mira Costa Celebrates a Prom to Remember

A bustling scene reminiscent of a celebrity bash—complete with Hummer limos and luxury transportation galore dropping off attendees—unfolded at the Park Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles on Saturday night as Mira Costa High School's Junior-Senior Prom got underway.

The theme of the night was "An Affair to Remember" centered around the Hollywood of a bygone era, complete with old movies projected onto a hotel wall. The venue, which was chosen nearly two years ago, housed the evening's activities until midnight.

Students had many options for entertainment and mementos during the event: a photo booth; a caricaturist drawing live ink drawings of students; a lounge singer in the main hall; a view upstairs that drew many students to ascend the grand staircase in the main hall; and a dance floor with dual pool tables and poker tables.

Despite all the glitz and glam, for many the night seemed to hinge on just being a teenager having a good time.

"The best part of the night will be dancing until my feet bleed," said Celine Mons, a sophomore from Manhattan Beach.

Bri'ana Thomas, a senior from Culver City, had a similar view of the night.

"Probably dancing, you know, partying it up a little bit," Thomas said, when asked to predict a highlight of the evening.

Despite the carefree attitudes, much preparation went into getting ready—even for the guys.

Prompted to reveal the most difficult aspect of the evening, Brandon Graves of Compton replied, "Basically, making sure my girl has everything right so she won't be mad at me."

"If you have a date," explained Eli Rivas, a 10th-grader from Hermosa Beach, "trying to match clothes with your date can be a little bit of a hassle."

Despite minor gripes, most students had a positive view of the prom and wore beaming smiles to prove it.

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