(May 24, 2013) — After months of gown shopping and tie matching, the day had finally arrived as students beat the traffic caused by a Glendale hills brush fire to get to the Odyssey on May 3. Boys entered in their fresh-looking suits and girls in their princess-like gowns.

Even though prom lasted just over four hours, most girls went through months of preparing by getting appointments for hair, makeup, nails . . . the list goes on. But most importantly, the goal was to find the perfect dress for the night since it was one of the last events for the class.

“I ordered my dress at the end of January and had already booked my appointments by February,” said Arpine Pogosyan. “When it was finally May, it hit me, that this is our last Clark experience as a class.”

The girls were not the only ones doing all the preparing, as guys sought out the perfect tie. “The most difficult part was getting the tux and tie and planning the ride there, but it was definitely worth the fun,” said Ruben Petrosyan. Aside from individual preparations, ASB worked to make sure the prom experience was one not to forget. As a result of all the Pinkberry and Jamba Juice sales, ASB members were able to get a venue with an unforgettable view of the San Fernando Valley set to the theme of “City Lights.”

After countless pictures at Brand Park and alongside pools, students got into the fancy white limousines and party buses and were off to the Granada Hills venue. Once there, students enjoyed the food — choices included a candy bar where seniors could fill up jars of candies to a buffet-style dinner including prime rib — before hitting the dance floor to dance the night away. The DJ played classic party music, ranging from upbeat songs to more cultural music, such as Arabic and Armenian songs.

The packed dance floor definitely gave away how much people were enjoying themselves. “All I remember from that night was dancing and smiling. The DJ was great and my friends and I couldn’t stop dancing,” Pogosyan said.

Although the dancing and music was a favorite of many, some had fun for other reasons. “It was fun to see everyone so dressed up,” said Edit Mirzakhanyan. “It was a drastic change from what we are used to seeing at school every day.”

Once Alex Deravanessian and Adrine Oganyan were announced prom king and queen, students knew there was not much time left of the night as they tried to make the best of it. Soon the time to leave arrived and the day that had been so long waited for was coming to a close.

“This was a memorable night that I will not forget from high school. It was amazing partying with my friends, knowing that it would be one of the last time we would all be together for something like that. It was a bittersweet night,” Mirzakhanyan said.