SBHS senior Alanis Jordan was thrilled to be selected Homecoming Queen. A coveted title that guaranteed she would be featured in the yearbook. But, Jordan almost didn’t buy a yearbook.
“It was too much thrown at us at once, very overwhelming, when we had just paid for Grad Bash and prom,” said Jordan.
Other South Broward seniors have similar experiences, such as Aspen Roberts, who has attended almost all the senior events. These expenses overwhelmed her bank account, especially when she had to pay car payments, insurance, and gas.
“My bank account is struggling to keep up. Right now I have four dollars to my name,” said Roberts.
Most seniors did not have to pay for their prom ticket or outfit, these lucky seniors had their parents or other family members cover the costs of prom.
Other students, like SBHS senior Alonso Jordan, who have jobs and saved up enough money to pay for each event themselves.
“I was working at Publix. Then, I began working at Senor Ceviche when I realized I needed more money,” said Jordan. “My funds have run real low, even with the help of my parents.”
Like Aspen, he also has to deal with car payments and insurance.
Around school I interviewed the senior class, and 75% of seniors complained about how expensive prom was. The early bird ticket, which was only sold for a week, right after seniors had to pay for grad bash, was $140. After that week, SBHS seniors had to pay $160. That may seem reasonable to some people, but not to others like SBHS senior Benny Collins, who has to deal with external expenses.
“College is super expensive, and with the addition of senior event costs, my account is running pretty low,” said Collins.
Football games, senior photos, homecoming, the senior barbeque, cap and gown, grad bash, a yearbook, and last but not least, prom. If a senior participates in all of these, they will spend close to $700 – and that doesn’t include prom and homecoming dresses, tuxedos, makeup, hair, etc.
Even though the cost to attend all of these events is high – and getting even higher, most seniors think they are worth it.
“I wouldn’t say that you’d have to attend all of them to have a good senior year, but they’re nice experiences to have,” said SBHS senior Ignacio Villamarin. “It’s a good way to end off your high school years after all the hard work you’ve done.”
