Friday, March 31, 2017

Prom 2017 ~~ a BHS finish

Yes, it's that time, again. It also happens to be my last prom as a teacher as I plan to retire at the end of this school year. Actually, I bowed out gracefully for the most part. Some of the younger teachers agreed to help my co-cordinator but we couldn't afford to have that many teachers out of the classroom. 



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! 


main backdrop for professional photographs

closeup of backdrop
above the dance floor

entry way

another area

props table
fun decorations in foyer

photo booth to take your own pics
take pictures while waiting in line









close up of table centerpieces
The teachers and students who worked to plan, clean, decorate, and clean some more are people with stamina and determination. It take a full week of building, painting, glittering, shopping and what-not. Then there are the kids. They have to be taught what to do and watched carefully so supplies are not wasted by accident. Once fabric or gossamer is cut the wrong length, well, you know how that goes. 

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.)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow sounds like a big job! Looks like quite a great event. Congratulations!

Heide said...

Everything looks wonderful! I am sure it was a wonderful night. Love all the details that were added to dress up the room for prom.

grammajudyb said...

Wonderful decorations, I am sure it was a huge success. Prom is not until May here. March and April can be snowy and cold. I understand about the bowing out of the labor! After a certain age it get so-o-o-o hard to keep up the pace!

Karen said...

What a great design for a prom, and your table toppers are really beautiful. (I never went to such a FUN prom :( As a retired teacher with 42 years in the classroom--Welcome to the next adventure!! You will love it :)

Mary Marcotte said...

It was fun! But the actual event happens tonight. This post is only about the decorating and the table toppers. Thanks for the sweet comments.
Judy, we get out of school in May and have spring break at Easter. With testing and finals at the end, there are few weekends open for prom. But that's okay, the weather is gorgeous right now.
Karen, half the fun is the week of decorating! I can't imagine that I'd never get to 42! I'm done at 28...and tired. :)
I am ready for the next adventure be it in the rest of the States, a new country, an island or a place I haven't imagined yet. "Let's just go!" is our new mantra.

Kaja said...

It all looks fantastic, Mary, especially if it was all done on a limited budget. It's such a different world for me - when I left school no one had proms here: we just got to the last day and then toddled off into the world. Even now, kids just dress up and hire a hall, though slowly the American-style event is coming, I think.

Mary Marcotte said...

There are schools here that have eliminated prom because of the work and expense, but the parents often rent a hall and put on prom. I can't imgaine high school without prom, Kaja. My husband and I attended my prom as high school sweethearts way back in 1978 (although he attended a different school). It's interesting how what is popular in one place or country, finds its way to another place. It shows that people are generally willing to try new ideas, and that's a good idea in itself!

Have a great weekend, all.

Karen S said...

There is a huge amount of work required to put on these events. I am full of admiration for all involved.