May is the month for senior proms. The high school ritual conjures up images of slow dances and theme-decorated gymnasiums along with music, punch and teenagers. However, on Friday, May 18, Black Hawk Middle School Spirit Club along with NESCO's (NorthEast Side Senior Coalition) activity coordinator Nicole Murphy welcomed up to 200 area elderly citizens and several adults for a free "senior prom" featuring live music, light refreshments and beverages and a decorated gymnasium with the theme "A Night in Paris."

The night was a great success! There were so many seniors dancing with each other, dancing with the students, laughing, enjoying each others' company and reminiscing the good times of their proms of the past. One senior citizen couple had tears in their eyes and said " I never attended my senior prom so this is a very special occasion that I will cherish forever." Another couple stated that their Senior Prom back in 1951 also had the same theme, "A Night in Paris. "This prom is so much better though because of the décor and the young students who are hosting this event." Nothing stopped the seniors from dancing and having a blast. Even the seniors confined to wheel chairs took their chairs out for several spins to the live orchestra of Bill Terry.

The most heartwarming aspect of this prom was seeing how the students of the Spirit Club greeted the seniors as they stepped into the building of Black Hawk Middle and spending quality time with several of the seniors. We were all so proud of the students as they spontaneously danced and catered to all of their needs. It truly was endearing! The Spirit Club is part of MSCR and it consists of around 20-30 students who celebrate the spirit of volunteerism. Their club leaders are Jennifer Peters, Stacy Ackerman and Student Teacher Stephanie Beckman. We raised around $1,300 by selling Boston Store Coupon Booklets, asking for donations during school events by making coffee and giving out cookies, and $200.00 were allocated to us from part of a Cesa 2 AODA grant. The Spirit Club wrote a grant and was awarded $1,000.00. Only $200 of it was designated for an intergenerational project which was the prom.

The décor of the gym invited us all to spend "A Night in Paris". Some of the decorations featured:

• A 10-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower made by the Spirit Club
• 8'x3' painted Parisian scenes,
• a fully-decorated gym with sparkling stars on black walls, a Paris streetlamp, linen table cloths, strung lights and paper lanterns,
• live swing-era music from the 6-piece Bill Terry Orchestra,
• a 10-foot decorated archway with bench beneath it,
• sparkling table center pieces, and a huge disco ball, and spot lights that shined on the dance floor,
• delicious, healthy snacks, punch and 2 huge cakes recognizing the seniors.

One of the students Ryan Balthazor, said it best "We want to make sure that the senior know that they are important to us. This is why we put his together". There were many letters of appreciation given to us, and Channel 3 and channel 27 were generous with their coverage of this event. Many expressed their wishes for having another prom next year. Several were mentioning that perhaps a Hawaiian theme would be in order. "Many of us have Hawaiian clothes and accessories to wear for it" declared one of the seniors. So it has been decided that the Spirit Club once again will be forming a partnership with NESCO for next year's prom in May. It truly was a magical evening!

Related MMSD Links

• Video of the Black Hawk Senior Prom