Image courtesy of Celeste Carmona

Segerstrom students discuss the Winter Formal theme, “The Princess and the Frog,” as they observe the new decorations near the ASB window.

At last, the time has come for the Winter Formal. Segerstrom didn’t have a winter formal last year due to budget cuts. Fortunately this year, we were able to raise the money to have a Winter Formal. ASB recently announced that the theme for this year’s Winter Formal is “The Princess and the Frog.”

The movie The Princess and the Frog is about a hardworking woman, Tiana, and a recently cut-off Prince Naveen, in their journey through the bayou as frogs. Tiana is a career-driven woman trying to save up for her dream restaurant by working two jobs as a waitress. Prince Naveen was cut off by his wealthy family, so he came to New Orleans to marry Charlotte, a bubbly rich girl. However, he got involved with Dr. Facilier, also known as “The Shadow Man,” who specializes in voodoo magic. After making a shady deal with Dr. Facillier, Naveen turned into a frog. In an attempt to become human, he kissed Tiana but turned her into a frog as well. To reverse the curse, they go through a journey together through the bayou. Going through obstacles and triumphs, and meeting fun characters along the way, Tiana and Naveen fall in love.

Choosing this nostalgic film as the theme for this year’s Winter Formal was a decision that took a lot of careful consideration. ASB took everyone’s point of view into consideration, which takes months to do. Junior Class Co-President Terrance Ross (11) explains the process of picking a dance theme.

“When it comes time to pick a dance theme, the class is divided into an appropriate number of committees, and within these committees, the individuals come up with a theme and different ideas for the assembly, decorations, spirit days, etc. As a class, we vote on the top three, and then a Google form is sent out to the student body on the top three choices,” Ross explains.

Transforming the venue into the beautiful scenery of the bayou is challenging, but also rewarding because so many people love the iconic Disney movie. To get students fully immersed in the theme, ASB plans to “capture not only the love between Tiana and Naveen, Ray and Evangeline but the culture associated with Mardi Gras, too,” says Ross.

Lighting and decor are something that our ASB prides themselves on, so they are considering everything when planning for our Winter Formal. Not only will it take attendees through the scenes of The Princess and the Frog, but it will also convey a romantic ambiance.

“The decoration for the most part will coincide with the bayou since it was the background for most of the movie. The lighting is to give a more dim and romantic feel to the place,” Ross adds.

With the announcement of the theme, there have been many mixed reviews from Segerstrom students. Some students love the theme and are excited to see how ASB will transform the Hacienda into the beautiful setting of the bayou.

“I like the theme a lot because it’s something very well known to everyone,” says Nichole Brown (12). She was especially excited to see that it is being hosted at The Hacienda. “Honestly, I think the venue will do the theme justice,” she adds.

On the other hand, some students believe that the theme does not go with the Winter season. Although it is seen as an otherwise good theme, some students find that it would be best used later in the year.

“I don’t think The Princess and the Frog fits the ‘winter’ theme. I think it’d be better for a spring or summer dance,” says sophomore Sydney Muratalla, when asked about whether or not she believes ASB will be able to decorate according to The Princess and the Frog. “Based off [of] HOCO, I don’t think [it works.] I really liked the theme of HOCO, but none of the decorations seem to fit the theme.”

ASB as well as the student body are very excited to see The Princess and the Frog be brought to life at this year’s Winter Formal. It will take place at The Hacienda on February 10 from 6 P.M. to 10 P.M. The last day to purchase tickets will be February 7th. There will be only 350 tickets being sold. During the first week of sales, tickets were sold at $50 with an ASB sticker and $55 without, the second week will be $55 with ASB and $60 without, and the final week will be $65 for all students.