The Class of 2018 officers, with guidance from student activities director Mr. Travis Mougeotte and class advisors Mrs. Riki Miztel and Mr. Alex Anderson, decided to host Junior Prom at Destiny Community Center. In past years, Junior Prom has taken place at the Sacramento Automobile Museum, which was the original plan for this year. The new location has caused controversy due to its affiliation with Destiny Christian Church.

“Once we considered the budget, we decided on Destiny Center because it would leave more money for other things, like flowers and decorations. Once we visited both facilities, it was an obvious decision because Destiny Community Center is a larger space, and it is a newer building,” class officer Gretcher Fischer said.

The class officers believe the change in location will have other positive benefits as well.

“It is closer, so students don’t have to spend money on limousines and party busses, since the tickets are already pretty expensive,” Fischer said.

On the other hand, some students do not agree with the facility choice. After learning about the event location last week, Molly Andrada and Carina Pasquale started a petition to change the venue. They are hoping for at least 200 signatures and currently have 145.

“First of all, people hate that Destiny is taking over our school, and it feels as if they’re forcing Christianity upon us. Not everyone believes in God, and not everyone believes in Christianity,” Andrada said.

Although some are uncomfortable with the prom site, the class officers are adamant about the separation of the church and Junior Prom.

“The venue is not a church, and nothing religious will be going on whatsoever. The venue is a public community center that is owned by the church, and it is a very nice venue for prom,” Jonah Lay said.

Even though he disagrees with the petition’s purpose, class officer Brett Lindsay is not upset about the signatures.

“I think it’s great that high schoolers are practicing their right to petition. I understand where they are coming from, but I believe they don’t have all the right facts,” Lindsay said
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Despite the officers’ acknowledgement of the petition, the prom venue is set in stone.

“We cannot change the location due to the cost. We have a low budget and Destiny kindly offered for us to to use their facility for free,” Lindsay said.

Junior Prom will take place April 1 at Destiny Community Center.