Dobby the house elf from the Harry Potter series greets visitors at the 2009 Celebration. Former Celebration themes have run the gamut from “Harry Potter” to “The Wizard of Oz.” What will this year’s theme be? The theme is kept top secret to surprise prom-goers. (File photos)
For Bromfield students, May and June means end-of-year banquets, awards ceremonies, afternoons at the pond, and final exams. Spring also means that many will soon be attending the prom and graduation with all of the attendant celebrations, fun, laughter, and treasured traditions. It’s certainly an exciting time for teens, but one that parents often view with a sense of trepidation.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, alcohol-related accidents spike during April, May, and June, the peak months for proms and graduations. The NHTSA annually compiles statistics on teen motor vehicle crashes that occur during prom and graduation season weekends. Since 1982, when they began to track such statistics, the number of people 15 to 20 years old that die in drunk driving crashes during these weekends has dropped significantly, but still, every spring, the smiling, hopeful face of another teen killed in a tragic prom night crash stares out from the pages of yet another news broadcast or paper.
Each year, about 5,000 people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking. This includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes (38 percent) and hundreds of others from injuries such as drowning, burning, falls and other alcohol-induced accidents. Teen risk surveys continue to produce worrisome statistics about youth behavior involving drugs, alcohol, and driving.
The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence conducted a “Monitor the Future” survey that indicated that 22 percent of tenth-graders and 29 percent of twelfth-graders nationally had engaged in binge drinking in the past 30 days. A 2010 Liberty Mutual/Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) survey found that nearly 90 percent of eleventh- and twelfth-graders thought their friends were more likely to drive drunk on prom night. The odds that a junior in high school will drive drunk in any given month is 1 in 8.7; the odds are 1 in 5.46 for seniors.
Last year Bromfield was transformed into a giant game board—including this life-sized game of Clue—for the post-prom party.
Despite parental pleading and public campaigns, the probability that an eleventh- or twelfth-grade student will get in the car with a driver who has been drinking is about 30 percent. And those figures are likely to be higher during prom and graduation season.
In response to these worries, a group of concerned parents and community members formed Harvard’s Substance Abuse Task Force in 1996. This organization later launched an after-prom alcohol-free event called Celebration, an event that has been held every year since. On Friday, May 18, the sixteenth annual Celebration will once again provide a safe and fun-filled all-night event for Bromfield juniors, seniors, and their dates.
Celebration has become a magical and highly anticipated tradition that brings together parents, community members, local businesses, and volunteers in a huge effort. Approximately 250 volunteers give their time and energy to pull off the all-night, fun-packed event designed to keep Harvard’s students safe and off the streets on a potentially dangerous night.
The event, which is offered free of charge to all juniors and seniors, begins when students start streaming in after the prom, sometime around 11 p.m. There they will play games, jump in bouncy castles, win prizes, dine on special treats created by Chef Paul Correnty and an enthusiastic Food Committee headed by Pat Nelson and be surprised by new and unique decorations, events, and entertainment. At 5 a.m., bleary-eyed partyers troop home while a fresh crew of clean-up volunteers arrives to break everything down.
Celebration is organized around a central theme selected every October in a secret meeting. The 11 committees and many volunteers work hard to come up with décor, food, and events that tie to the theme, while maintaining complete secrecy around their efforts. Volunteers use code words, hide incriminating evidence, store props and materials at neighbors’ houses, and make sure to keep emails and voice mails private. Previous years’ themes have included Harry Potter, Medieval Night, and the Wizard of Oz. Last year, partygoers got to dine in Candy Land, play a giant game of Operation, and get pictures snapped of themselves dressed up as Clue characters.
In 2010, Celebration had a nautical theme.
More than 90 percent of Bromfield juniors and seniors attend the event each year. Because it takes in no admission fees, Celebration depends totally on the generosity of the community and local businesses. Renate Rooney, the chair of this year’s event, expresses gratitude for the generosity of parents, community members, and businesses who donate to the event, sometimes year after year.
“We could not pull off an event of this size without their help,” she said. “To entice students to stay all night, we need to provide a fun, exciting atmosphere with plenty of activities to keep them engaged. It is expensive to do, but so worth it to make sure our teens stay safe.”
“We have families who do not even have kids in Bromfield that donate very generously,” added Vijaya MacLean, co-chair of the Prize Committee. “We so appreciate their support.”
The entire community is invited to see Bromfield’s transformation and to experience what Harvard teens will be up to on prom night during an open house from 9 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 18. No one has slipped the theme of this year’s event, but it is certain to be spectacular as it is every year.
“We would love for people to come and see the amazing results of our volunteers and sponsors,” said Rooney. “Somehow, the committees top themselves every year.”
She adds that the Celebration Committee would be grateful for any donations given to support future Celebrations. A suggested donation would be $5 per family, but any amount is gratefully accepted.
“The economy has been hard hit here, as everywhere, and while we work hard to keep costs down so that we can provide this wonderful event free to all students, raising the money to underwrite it is becoming more challenging every year,” she said.
Cathryn Noyes is a member of the 2012 Celebration Committee.
