Seneca High School does not put a price tag on the safety of its students. Friday night after the senior prom, the school will be hosting an event that costs upward of $10,000 as an alternative for students who are looking to make a responsible decision.
The second annual Prom House 110 Carranza is a drug- and alcohol-free post prom party filled with games, entertainment and prizes. The party is open to all seniors who are in good standing. They are also allowed to bring their dates who do not have to be Seneca students.
The student council is in charge of this event and has been planning it since the fall. The idea came as students grew more concerned about their safety on prom night.
“I am a guidance counselor trying to help the kids with their post prom experience because that experience is often not so good,” guidance counselor Erica Maira said. “And after hearing different things year after year, you start to really worry about their well-being.”
Principal Jeff Spector described prom as a rite of passage that for many students is a defining moment that marks the transition from high school to adulthood.
High school senior prom is one of the greatest traditions in American culture. Unfortunately it also often comes along with the inevitable question of “can I go to the Shore for the weekend?”
“The strategies parents employ on prom night to keep their children safe varies with individual parenting styles and becomes more pronounced as students pull toward independence,” Spector said. “What is clear to me is so many of you (parents) are looking for alternatives. So are many of your children.”
This post prom event is scheduled to run from midnight to 5:30 a.m., and it is stressed that students’ parents must pick them up afterward.
Teachers will be volunteering their time to work the event. Student council members as well as students from the junior class will also be decorating and working the event.
The students are scheduled to arrive at the school around midnight where their limos and trolleys will drop them off.
They will then have some time to get organized, as the first event does not begin until 1 a.m.
Upon arrival, students will be given the opportunity to change into some more comfortable clothes and get a bite to eat.
“We will have plenty of breakfast foods, and this year, we will also have pizza as an alternative,” Maira said.
At 1:00, kids will take part in a game show lead by Eric Dasher in which they will be called up from the audience and quizzed on different things, using a buzzer to announce their answer and score points.
After this, the students will enter the gym that will be turned into a giant fun zone until 4 a.m.
The wood shop is building a 78-foot boardwalk that stretches from one end of the gym to the other.
“Peter Lumber Co. helped a great deal in getting that done. They were able to give us a very reasonable price,” Maira said.
There will be an assortment of boardwalk games, — such as Ski Ball, a 17-foot-high striker, Velcro bow and arrow targets — lawn games — such as KanJam, Cornhole, an eight-person Foosball game, an oversize Connect 4 game — and on the other side of the gym there will be a movie playing with beach chairs set up for those who want to kick back and relax. There will also be water ice and popcorn for kids to snack on.
Throughout this period, students will have the opportunity to acquire as many tickets as they can from the activities. Students will then trade their tickets in at the end to put themselves in the running for a drawing card to win different prizes.
All prizes are donated by different Seneca clubs and sports. Students will have the opportunity to win flat screen TVs, microwave ovens, Beats headphones and speakers, iPads, gift cards and much more.
The grand prize is a car submitted for the second consecutive year by Medford Ford.
Parents are also encouraged to make private donations along with local small businesses to help fund this giant event.
Rice and Holman and The Tabernacle Alliance were among the businesses that made large donations last year to fund the first ever Prom House.
After the activities, the kids will head back to the auditorium to see a hypnotist show lead by the Jason Linnet group, and every senior who pays the $5 to attend will go home with a tank top or a t-shirt.
“We commend them over and over on making the responsible decision and coming here,” Maira said. “Watching the kids have so much fun and get excited to be at school makes it all worth while!”
Info box:
How can you help?
Student Council asks you please consider:
A monetary contribution –The success of Prom House 110 Carranza is entirely dependent on the volunteer spirit and the donations from businesses and parents. Please make check payable to Seneca High School and send to the attention of student council advisor Mrs. Erica Maira.
A prize contribution — Student Council has a list of prizes it would like to offer students. If you are interested in purchasing a prize you can e-mail Mrs. Maira at emaira@lrhsd.org. She will forward your e-mail to student council and it will get you the list.
Corporate Sponsorship
If you are a business owner, work for a company or know someone who would consider sponsoring our event, please contact Grace McCloskey at gmccloskey@lrhsd.org.
