Prom 2009 is quickly drawing near, and After Prom is right on its heels.
Since its creation over 20 years ago, After Prom has been an annual event that has been on the calendars of seniors since the first day of school.
As the 2009 Senior Prom is this Saturday, April 25, the excitement for After Prom escalates. The entertaining, early-morning extravaganza will immediately follow the Prom and will begin at midnight on Saturday, April 25, and will conclude at 5 am on Sunday morning. “Seniors should be excited and want to go to After Prom because this is the last organized event for them as seniors at TJ. This gives them the opportunity to spend some fun time with all of their friends,” said Karen Swedhin, the lead organizer of After Prom 2009.
After Prom was created as a way for seniors to have a safe and fun environment to follow the Prom, and still be able to stay out all night with their friends. “I’m excited to go to After Prom because everyone from years past says that it is the highlight of the entire night,” commented Senior Turner Wyatt. Several prizes will be given throughout the night, as well as a few big-time prizes at the end of the night, in a raffle.
Due to the immense expense of Prom and everything it entails, TJ students will be relieved that After Prom is completely free of charge and is open to all seniors and their dates. “After Prom is FREE. There’s no strings attached. There are very few things in this world that are truly free, and as the seniors enter the ‘real world’ they will soon find this out,” Swedhin stated.
Even if After Prom is quickly approaching, the theme is still a mystery to the students. The theme will be revealed when the seniors arrive in the gym at midnight. “It’s fun and funny to see what the parents have come up with and have been working on for so many months,” said Swedhin.
Although After Prom is free, it is mandatory to sign-up at the treasurer’s office with Derrek Steffes. The sign-up was available daily from April 9th to April 23rd. It is mandatory to sign up for After Prom prior to entrance; if a student fails to sign-up, he or she will be denied access.
For the parent volunteers who put together this monumental event, four years of fundraising and extremely hard work is about to unfold. “Nowadays, it costs at least $20,000 to put on a nice After Prom, so as you can see, fund raising is a must for a nice After Prom. It’s truly an event that takes four years of planning and hard work on the parents’ part,” said Swedhin. “The parents have a blast doing it for the kids and we hope that the kids want and look forward to the party as much as we do.”
