We started planning and chose a theme at the end of September and started having meetings shortly after that until it was Prom time. Prom was early on the calendar this year and was on March 24th. I am SO glad it is over and out of the way!
For my first year in charge of a class and having never planned a prom before, it went VERY well. Yes there were bumps in the road and issues to be worked out but my class of kids were GREAT and such hard workers!
Our Prom theme was based on Titanic and officially called "An Evening on the High Seas".
I know many schools have their own prom traditions. We have a Promenade in our auditorium so that all parents and the public can see all of the couples and take photos. It's sort of like a fashion show in a sense where each couple is announced, they come out on stage and smile for the camera before walking off. Here is how we decorated our auditorium for Promenade:
Here are a few pictures of how we transformed our commons/eating area into Prom:
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| This black ship was originally my idea. Some of them were skeptical at first, but ended up being executed by a handful of my girls. When it was all done, they were SO PROUD of how it turned out. I made sure they took pictures by it so they would be able to remember forever! :) |
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| We have a dinner catered for all students before the dance begins, so we had tablecloths, and decorations and all. |
Although it was a long and exhausting experience, I wouldn't trade it for anything. My kids took ownership in the ideas and execution of everything and I just helped to get it all done. Because they took ownership in it, they believed in it and wanted it to look good. With the time we had to get everything done with our state basketball tournament and spring break taking place the 2 weeks prior to Prom, it all turned out so well. I am SO proud of my kids and all of the work they accomplished! Overall everyone had a blast and it was GREAT!
Oh my gosh AMY! This is so cool! It makes me so jealous of people who got to go to regular school!! It looks like it is from a movie set. The chairs esp!!! Our school was boring. They rented a wedding venue (golf course) no creativity at all. We showed up, me in my $100 gown and everyone else in their couture gowns.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, there is an opening in our high school for an art teacher and I want to apply so bad but I am mostly worried that I have no idea what a normal high school experience is like, never mind never teaching high school! It was a huge learning curve teaching elementary public school after teaching private and going to so many private schools. Wish me luck! I don't know if I'll apply yet, but I think I am definitely ready for a job where I can use some more of my education and talents! How do you find teaching high school level? Can you compare it to elementary?
I grew up going to a mix of public and private schools. In general I LOVE teaching high school. The students can be challenging but in general my students are great! I am lucky to be in a district that has pretty well-behaved students...we have our stinkers yes but generally our kids are great! Art positions can vary greatly, especially on the high school level. I teach 3 hours of art for high school with my morning consisting of a few elementary classes and 1 junior high hour. For high school my art classes are general...meaning I teach them whatever I want ranging from drawing to painting to clay and anything I want in between. That is the fun part because I can always switch it up so it doesn't become boring.
DeleteThe hardest thing has been that the students want to be my friend...I am only 24 so that doesn't help. But I try my hardest to be strict with love. I love my students and generally they know that but they also know they can't get away with much. If you can get the class management part of it and you know your art stuff, I'd apply and see what happens! I love being with little kids and big ones but if I had to choose at this moment, I'd choose to teach high school! If you choose to apply...good luck!
Thanks! I thought long and hard and I'm not going to apply after all. It is a really tough district and when I make the move I think I will need to move districts entirely. There's a lot broken about our system but at least I KNOW what is broken where I work and can work around it (if that makes any sense!) You are so young! Already with a career! That is amazing! Congrats on landing a job right out of college!
DeleteWhen my son was a junior in high school, I was the decorating chair for his class after-prom party, an all-night event that takes place at the school. The kids plan and put on the prom, which begins with a whole promenade that is beautifully decorated, and then moves to a dinner/dance at a local establishment, but the PTSA parents of the juniors put on the after-prom party, and the kids don't know the party theme until they show up. ALL the kids generally go to the after-prom, which is free, so they are not out drinking or getting into any other trouble. The sophomore parents chaperone, so they know what to expect the following year when they are in charge. The school is transformed so totally that the rooms and halls are unrecognizeable. We chose as our theme, ironically, a cruise ship. One area was turned into a casino, another area was a movie theater, and there was a cafe with live music, and a gym filled with giant inflatable games, plus food galore (we had ice sculptures and a chocolate fountain on the food table). There are tons of prizes from local businesses. It was all so cool. Then there was a hypnotist in the wee hours of the morning when the kids were very suggestible.
ReplyDeleteThanks for making me remember all of this, since it was a fast 6 years ago.
Our parents put on an after prom similar sounding to this...keeps the kids from doing silly things they'd probably come to regret later!
DeleteYou may not remember every face, every comment good/bad, but you'll always remember a night on the high seas! Great job, Amy!
ReplyDeleteThat's fun, Amy! Good job! I love planning that kind of thing. Not that I've planned anything as detailed as prom, I'm sure my wedding was simple comparatively! :)
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