That meant someone had to stay at school and help hold down the fort. I like the fort and decided to hold it down. Besides, prom is a big, really big job. My co-cordinator and friend really did not want to give it up. She's an art teacher who once asked me to consider opening a wedding consulting business together. Thankfully, we came to our senses right after the next prom. :)
However, bowing out gracefully (or not) doesn't completely eliminate the chores. We needed ten 24" square table linens to add a bit of color on top of the gold table cloths.
I love the look of the blue as part of the centerpieces, especially with the chairs accessories of black covers and gold bows. The tables are very elegant, which flows beautifully with the rest of the decorations.
Here are a few photos of the rest of the venue all dressed up and ready for the tuxedos, fancy dresses, and high heels. And let's not forget the nails, hair, facials, makeup and, in some cases, massages. Yes, you read it correctly. Not only do they throw after-parties, hire limos, cook breakfasts, they also get massages to relax before the big shindig!
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| main backdrop for professional photographs |
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| above the dance floor |
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| entry way |
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| another area |
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| props table |
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| fun decorations in foyer |
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| photo booth to take your own pics |
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| take pictures while waiting in line |
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| close up of table centerpieces |
For the most part, however, they did a fabulous job and the entire Haas Auditorium is decorated and ready for beautiful girls on the arms of handsome young men. Plus, they learned about working toward a common goal with peers, following directions, and sticking with a project even when you're exhausted and want to give up. Some pretty good lessons for a bunch of 16-17 year olds, don't you agree?
Linking up with
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
After reading some of the comments, I decided to add the following to help everyone understand the enormity of the job.
Putting on a prom here is like decorating for a wedding. Except it
has to be done on half (a fourth?) of the budget! We live in a poor rural area,
so kids can't afford to pay $250-300 for a ticket like they do in more affluent
areas. We build decorations out of cardboard, foam board, gossamer, paint
glitter and who knows what. That car in the foyer...started out as a
piece of pink foam board for housing insulation.
We also save everything and share/borrow decorations from other
schools. One year we bought all of the decorations left from a wedding for a
very low price (and helped to clean after the wedding). Another year a sister
school gave us "the dancing couples"--we've call the three props that
for several years now. Some of the white gossamer in these pictures was left
over from last year.
It's amazing what can be done (and amassed) for a few thousand
dollars when you're resourceful. But it takes lots of work and many workers:
teachers to oversee and help students build props, students (who learn many
skills that they are completly unaware of), adult chaperones during the dance,
and teachers who are willing to take in displaced students because their
regular teacher is decorating "at prom." It's a huge event because
decorating takes so many hours, after-school for several days and
during school for two.
I chose to baby-sit during school so some of the younger teachers
could work at the Haas. "Baby-sitting" as many as 40 kids for a
couple of hours is work, but it doesn't require crawling on the floor or
climbing ladders--that's a young teacher's job. Never the less, I still showed up for the after-school hours! And offered my sewing services. And was all in the business of brainstorming ideas. (See, you never really bow out completely.)
After reading some of the comments, I decided to add the following to help everyone understand the enormity of the job.
Putting on a prom here is like decorating for a wedding. Except it
has to be done on half (a fourth?) of the budget! We live in a poor rural area,
so kids can't afford to pay $250-300 for a ticket like they do in more affluent
areas. We build decorations out of cardboard, foam board, gossamer, paint
glitter and who knows what. That car in the foyer...started out as a
piece of pink foam board for housing insulation.
We also save everything and share/borrow decorations from other
schools. One year we bought all of the decorations left from a wedding for a
very low price (and helped to clean after the wedding). Another year a sister
school gave us "the dancing couples"--we've call the three props that
for several years now. Some of the white gossamer in these pictures was left
over from last year.
It's amazing what can be done (and amassed) for a few thousand
dollars when you're resourceful. But it takes lots of work and many workers:
teachers to oversee and help students build props, students (who learn many
skills that they are completly unaware of), adult chaperones during the dance,
and teachers who are willing to take in displaced students because their
regular teacher is decorating "at prom." It's a huge event because
decorating takes so many hours, after-school for several days and
during school for two.
I chose to baby-sit during school so some of the younger teachers
could work at the Haas. "Baby-sitting" as many as 40 kids for a
couple of hours is work, but it doesn't require crawling on the floor or
climbing ladders--that's a young teacher's job. Never the less, I still showed up for the after-school hours! And offered my sewing services. And was all in the business of brainstorming ideas. (See, you never really bow out completely.)
