Gowns have been bought, tuxedos have been rented, and reservations have been made.
The dazzling night anticipated by many Columbia County high school students is finally approaching.
Both Columbia High School and Fort White High School are holding their proms Saturday, and many students have spared no expense in preparation for the big night.
This is American history teacher Sarah Butcher’s first time serving as prom sponsor for CHS.
She stretches wearily in her classroom and gestures to a mound of boxes along one wall.
“My room has become a storage unit,” she said, laughing.
Brooke Watson, vice-president of the junior class and Jenn Carpenter, sergeant at arms, point to miniature Eiffel towers poking out of one box.
“Our theme is ‘Springtime in Paris’,” Watson said.
Lyndsey Goodson, secretary of the junior class, holds up small martini glasses that have light blue candles inside.
“We ordered a lot of stuff online,” she said.
The Columbia High School prom will be held at the American Legion Saturday from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m.
Planning for the prom started in October, and many of the decorations were ordered in January.
CHS held fundraisers including two car washes and a bake sale, raising at least $900.
“We’re using light colors like lime green, light purple, light blue and yellow on black,” Watson said.
The committee estimates spending five to six thousands dollars on prom.
An Orlando DJ is providing music and bringing two large TV screens as part of the show.
The prom will have French-related finger foods because the committee predicted that most students will eat before they arrive.
“We gave out 350 invitations for couples, so we’re expecting 700 people or so,” Watson said. “We’re almost sold out.”
CHS had a special allowing seniors to attend prom free if they obtained their tickets within the first two weeks of the sale.
In addition, if a senior’s date was another CHS senior, both got in free.
After the first two weeks, seniors were charged $5 for their tickets.
Prices now vary up to $25, depending on if upperclassmen brought younger dates or dates from other schools.
Tickets have been sold during lunch and specific times during the school day.
CHS will also have a prom king and prom queen crowned during the dance.
Nomination forms were passed out in English classes, and seniors were eligible to vote from the finalists.
“We will be giving out the tiara and king’s crown around midnight,” Goodson said.
According to Carpenter, the biggest challenge was communicating information to the students.
“Getting information to the seniors has been difficult,” she said. “Many are off campus during the day as part of special programs.”
South of CHS, the county’s other high school makes final preparations for their prom.
Fort White High School math teacher Tina Larson serves as prom sponsor.
“Out theme is ‘Always and Forever,” she said. “We’re selling couple tickets for $55 and single tickets for $30.”
More than 240 students purchased tickets for the FWHS prom, to be held in the school gymnasium.
“Our DJ is Rusty Bailey, a teacher at Richardson Middle School,” Larson said. “The planning process has gone very well and students, parents, faculty and staff have all been supportive.”
Prom colors include blue, white and silver, said Krissy Burks, a junior.
http://www.lakecityreporter.com/articles/2005/04/29/news/top_story/news01.prt
–Ashley Cisneros
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Ashley Cisneros is a co-founder of Chatter Buzz Media, an Orlando Internet marketing firm that helps companies and organizations engage with their target markets through inbound marketing via the Internet. Chatter Buzz Media, which won the Social Madness competition for the Orlando small business market, is a full-service digital marketing firm specializing in website design, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing and content creation. Prior to founding Chatter Buzz, Ashley worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, technical writer, marketing manager, public relations practitioner and freelance journalist. To see Ashley’s content writing, visit www.ashleycisneros.com. You can also reach Ashley on her Google profile.
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