Applebee leads charge in all-inclusive JSB

Every year, the Junior-Senior Banquet (JSB) gives upperclassmen the chance to dress in their best attire and spend a lovely night in a beautiful venue and dance with friends all night long.  

Many students look forward to JSB every year, but many may not realize that it takes hard work and a lot of planning to make it possible.  

This year, Morgan Applebee stepped up to lead her team members from Program Board. Applebee has already begun the planning and along with that, she has picked “Havana” as the theme. Although it was not an easy decision, she chose the one she thought would best fit. 

“I went through multiple different themes before choosing this one, the reason why I ended up going with that was because I wanted to have a theme that was not strictly feminine. I felt it would be easy to gear more towards flowers and pastel colors…but I did not want to do anything that was only marketed towards the women,” Applebee said.  

Not only did Applebee manage to choose an all-inclusive theme, but she also succeeded in making JSB tickets more affordable. This year’s tickets will only be $25 per person, instead of the usual $60.  

“We decided to take dinner out of JSB, so that ticket prices would be cheaper and students who want to get dinner can go out separately to whatever place they decide,” Applebee said. 

The venue that Applebee decided on is The Colony House, located in Anaheim. The event will be held there on Thursday, April 19th. 

“I wanted to find somewhere that was available on a Thursday night because if you are available on a Thursday night, most people will not be going out of town. It was also important when choosing a venue. I wanted it to be close, not too far away because of traffic.” Applebee said. 

The venue is nearby The Anaheim Packing District and because there will be no dinner served at JSB, Applebee made sure to connect with some of the vendors there. 

“I reached out to vendors who have dinner/dessert at the Anaheim Packing House and they are partnering with Vanguard to give students discounts for that night,” Applebee said. 

Applebee strove to make the event more enjoyable for every student, with her main vision for this year is to make everyone who attends feel included. 

“Everyone is invited, I did not just want to make it a women’s theme or a couples-only event, it was really important to me when I was visualizing what I wanted JSB to be like that whether you go as a couple, solo, or in a friend group, to feel welcomed,” Applebee said.  

Applebee has also been looking into finding decor for the venue and has considered herself successful. 

“I have been doing a lot of research on tropical plants and fancy rugs for decor. I think that the most difficult thing about planning this event will be being able to fit a bunch of trees into my car,” Applebee said. 

According to Applebee, the help of her marketing directors has eased the strain of planning. 

“I gave both Taylor Werfelmann and Andrew Baffa not much direction on the video for JSB and they put together an incredible video that I completely trusted them with. The fact that I do not have to worry about marketing the event at all and it’s taken care of and know it is going to make the theme appealing is awesome!” 

Overall, Applebee wants students to have an amazing time at JSB. 

“My favorite part about JSB is the dancing…this year the theme is Latin American, so get ready for some salsa,” Applebee said.