Reproduced with permission from Prince Williams County Public Schools
Prom night is a memorable experience in the lives of many young adults. For a group of Prince William County high school students having two proms is twice as nice, especially when one touches the heart of those in their golden years. Bridging the generation divide came easily to students involved in the county’s Healthy Communities Healthy Youth (HCHY) initiative.
Sixteen students from the county’s 10 high schools and their staff mentors gave up their spare time over two evenings to turn the activity room at Summerville Assisted Living Facility into “Old Hollywood.” The students are members of the HCHY Students LEAD Team, learning through service to others how they can build a better community.
“As the residents observed the preparation by the students and faculty mentors, they became keenly aware of how much [the students] were putting into the event and were deeply touched,” says Kay Chamberlin, activities director for Summerville.
On Prom Night, popular music from the 1940s to present stirred the students, staff, and residents alike. Greg Prescott, parent of a Woodbridge High School student, volunteered his DJ services to provide dance music. Residents joined students and danced to popular tunes such as the Electric Slide, Cha Cha Slide, Chicken Dance, and Macarena. Other favorites were the jazz standard, “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” country music’s “You Are My Sunshine,” and the show tune, “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” from the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical, “Pal Joey.”
“Some [residents] liked the dancing…” says Chamberlin, “but many simply enjoyed watching the students and teachers bring so much sparkle to their lives. They were taken by the students who were so lively and caring.”
The students’ intergenerational prom was a wonderful undertaking, shared Pam Gauch, associate superintendent for student learning and accountability. “I was impressed by our young people and the way they conducted themselves,” said Gauch. “It was evident that they were having a great time, and I was very proud of their genuine concern for the residents. These are amazing kids.”
The students got as much as they gave, or more, says Clarice Torian, PWCS director of student services. “They reached out to an older generation to build understanding and gained insight into the lives of a generation whose perspectives and lifestyles are different from their own.”
Torian and Debra Bishop, professional development specialist, are sponsors of the HCHY Students LEAD Team, which fosters The Search Institute’s “40 Developmental Assets,” building blocks for healthy youth development.
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