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‘Phantom’s Ball’ Deemed Huge Success
CAPTION: Vanessa Jones, escorted by Jon Martin (who was wearing a Phantom mask) walk off stage after Jones receives a feathered mask and their names were announced during the Grand March at the Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center Saturday night during the 2009 Chillicothe High School Prom. The theme of the prom, “The Phantom’s Ball,” was carried out throughout the school with the stage set as a large ballroom. C-T Photo/Laura Schuler
During this time, Senior Jon Martin, who also was in charge of the lighting and sound in the performing arts center, appeared in the PAC’s catwalk above the stage as the Phantom overlooking his opera house with the haunting melody associated with the Broadway musical resounding in the auditorium. Six students: Abbey Pitchford, Catherine Tipton, Madeline Brick, Ari Coleman, Vanessa Jones and Beth Skipper, sang “Masquerade.” The stage was decorated to resemble a large ballroom, complete with chandeliers made out of cardboard and metallic foil. The couples entered through a doorway in the center of the stage and the girls immediately received a feathered mask as they and their escorts were announced over the sound system.
After leaving the hallway, the students entered a space designed to represent a carriage with another nearby fountain. From the carriage, the students went through a lit arbor into the commons area which was decorated to look like a dining room in a large manor
The dance, which
started at 8 p.m., lasted until 11 p.m. From there, the prom-goers were
invited to "Kick off their Prom Shoes and Cut Footloose," at The
Fast Lane Family Entertainment Center next door, which served as
headquarters for Project Prom, which started at midnight and lasted until
4 a.m. According to Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) adviser
Kim Kieffer, 110 students attended Project Prom and only four of them left
early. "We ran out of T-shirts this year," Kieffer said. About
10 faculty members, four student helpers and a few junior class parents
helped run this year's SADD to host Project Prom at Fast Lanes
C-T Photo / Amanda McKay One of the most frightening nights of the school year for principals, faculty and parents is prom night. The night of prom does not end when the music stops however, that’s when the partying really gets started. Will it end at a friend’s house, an open house, or the local hangout? The Chillicothe High School’s SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) is hoping that students will chose to end up at The Fast Lane Family Entertainment Center. SADD is once again offering an alcohol free/drug free after-prom party to all prom-goers and their dates. The CHS Project Prom is a safe alternative to the usual drinking and driving from party to party that takes place. “At our party, there is no pressure,” said Angela Peterson and Kim Kieffer, SADD sponsors. “Kids will not have to made a decision on whether to drink or not to drink. There is no choice and no chance to lose face.” The location of the CHS Project Prom has changed location this year in an attempt to attract more prom-goers. After many years at the YMCA, the annual event is being held at The Fast Lane Family Entertainment Center with the theme “Kick Off Your Prom Shoes and Cut Footloose.” The cost to the students is $5 per ticket. All participants will receive a T-shirt, key chain and tokens for the arcade when they walk in the door. |
The 2009 Chillicothe High School Prom took a decidedly theatrical bent Saturday night with 80 senior couples and 68 junior couples participating in the formal event which carried the theme, “The Phantom’s Ball.”
The evening began promptly at 7 p.m. with the traditional Grand March in the Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center. However, this year, the Grand March began with a series of film clips from ‘The Phantom of the Opera.” According to Junior Sponsor Cindy Baker, the junior class (which planned and executed the prom) decided to start the Grand March with clips of film to introduce or re-introduce the audience to Broadway’s haunting love story. Then, following the clips, there was a short mirror scene on stage to illustrate how the Phantom draws “Christine” through the mirror and into his lair. Then, Senior Caleb Buckmaster, took the stage, dressed as the Phantom, and led “Christine,” played by freshman Emily Clark, off the stage.
Upon leaving the PAC, the students entered the lobby where a large fountain served as the main attraction. From there, the students traveled down the hallway toward the commons area. However, Saturday night, the hallway immediately north of the lobby was decorated as a cemetery. And, instead of having the students travel straight to the commons area, the junior class decided on a brief detour — making the path veer right, down another dark hallway littered with tombstones, some fog machines and flickering candlelight. From there, the couples entered the hallway of masks which led into the commons area. The hallway of masks was lit by black light and was decorated by a white floor speckled with bright paint and masks of all sizes hanging from the ceiling.
house. In the commons area were refreshments provided by the junior mothers led by Nancy Figg and Darla Laffey. Bailey Studio was also on hand in the commons area taking photos.
The prom began at 8 p.m. in the adjoining gymnasium, which was decorated to look like the Phantom’s lair, complete with an iron gate, a boat, cobwebs and many lighting techniques to give the space an eerie, haunted
feel. Baker said that the entire evening was a success.
event,
which featured bowling, arcade games (students attending were given 5
tokens each), washers, karaoke, pool tables, crap tables, and lots of
refreshments at the snack table. Kieffer, who co-sponsors S.A.D.D. with
Angela Peterson, said drawings for prizes were held every 10 to 15
minutes. The prizes, she said, were donated by local individuals,
businesses and organizations.
CAPTION:
Kim Kieffer, (LEFT) co-sponsor with Angela Peterson of SADD, Students Against Destructive Decisions, mans the sign-up desk in the cafeteria at Chillicothe High School for Project Prom. Project Prom will be held at The Fast Lane Family Entertainment Center and will take place Saturday, April 18 following the CHS Prom.
Organizers say Project Prom offers a safe alternative for prom-goers and carries the theme, “Kick Off Your Prom Shoes and Cut Footloose.”