It is safe to say that “The Polar Express” didn’t make it to the North Pole after CCHS’ Class of 2020’s holiday movie night had a shockingly low turnout. Hosting the event to raise money for the junior class’s prom next year, “The Polar Express” was shown in the courtyard with hot chocolate and popcorn for sale.
Although few people showed, the CCHS Class of 2020 went to great lengths to make their holiday movie night a success. Taking to various platforms to advertise the event, few could miss the flyers posted along hallways, on social media and featured on Dr. Hozebin’s morning and afternoon announcements.
“The money goes towards [the] Class [of 2020] which goes towards our prom,” Class of 2020 Historian Kimber Counts said.
“We were hoping for a larger turnout than we have but we’re hoping that with more promotion next year [we] can achieve it,” Recording Secretary Reese Abrahamoff said.
Having hosted another movie night fundraiser the year prior, the level of attendance was a stark contrast from the previous year. The Class of 2020 officers said that they believe, to some extent, that the lack of success can be traced back to having not pre-sold tickets.
The $5 admission fee included bottled water and popcorn and patrons were charged at the door. At the first Class of 2020 movie night, however, students had the opportunity to purchase tickets prior to the event.
While it is believed that some of the turnout problems can be linked to the lack of a presale, others agreed that CCHS is simply lacking school spirit.
The money raised in ticket and concession sales will be used to lower the price of prom tickets when it comes time for the current junior class to celebrate their seniority. But with the way things are working out now, the price of a ticket doesn’t seem to be dropping.
“The money goes towards [the] Class [of 2020] which goes towards our prom,” Class of 2020 Historian Kimber Counts said. “So basically, you have to pay more without getting anything out of it, like a movie and popcorn or shirt.”
While it is believed that some of the turnout problems can be linked to the lack of a presale, others agreed that CCHS is simply lacking school spirit.
“Some people do not want to participate in school events and that’s okay,” Abrahamoff said. “But it’s a way for everyone to get together and it would nice for everyone to come together and have a good time.”
Though the crowd was small, some in attendance came out to support their fellow classmates. Junior Sarah Salamon came to support her officer friends and her class.
“You’re only in high school once and you might as well make the best of it,” Salamon said. “You want to be a part of the fun times in school, not just the academic stuff, you know.”
When asked if low turnout could also be related to the choice of movie shown, class officers shared that “The Polar Express” was the best they could do.
“It’s just really funny,” Salamon said. “There [are] only like 15 people here and then the sound starts cutting out and no one knows what to do.”
“There are certain restrictions on what movie we can show,” Counts said. “This was the best one we could come up with [that fit those restrictions].”
Though the event was small and more of an intimate gathering, the group shared laughs over the technical difficulties standing in the way of actually getting the film up and running.
“It’s just really funny,” Salamon said. “There [are] only like 15 people here and then the sound starts cutting out and no one knows what to do.”
Photo by Kayla Florenco
