The organizers of Celebration, the post-prom festivities at the Bromfield School planned for Friday, May 20, are actively recruiting volunteers to help transform Bromfield into a surprise for the students. This year marks the 18th year of Celebration. More than 90 percent of juniors and seniors attend this special event.
People donate their time out of enthusiasm, love, or knowing someone who died in an alcohol-related car crash. When asked why they participate, team members echoed their commitment to a fun, safe evening for their teens.
It takes an army of volunteers to put Celebration together. Here Ned and Sue Toll fill helium balloons hours before last year’s Celebration doors were flung open. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Although her kids are now in college, Co-chairwoman Pat Cooper said, “I never want to get the phone call that every parent dreads.” She added, “I love that every junior and senior is included, celebrated, and treated to a wonderful event sponsored by their community to keep them safe, whether they go to the prom or not.”
“We are giving back to these kids who give so much to the community,” said Cooper. “They help us by tutoring others, working for Harvard Cares, babysitting so people can vote, providing religious education in their houses of worship, fundraising to earn money to help fund their sport events, and more. We’re educating the kids to be good volunteers. And we need their parents to volunteer as well.”
A prom night that changed her life
In a statement released to the press, Tonya Marksteiner, who heads up the decorating committee, said, “I was the passenger in a horrible car crash when I was 16. I spent months in the hospital. Prom night is a high-risk night for poor decisions. I work on Celebration because I don’t want a Harvard parent to receive the call my parents got.” That prom night changed Marksteiner’s life.
Safe and fun environment
Parent Deb Barton said she participates so that her kids and friends’ kids can have the time of their lives in a safe and fun environment on what is statistically a high-risk night. “My girls have been looking forward to their chance to go to Celebration since they went to their first public open house years ago,” she said.
Patty Wilkey, co-chairwoman of this year’s event, has been working on Celebration for nine years. In an interview, she said, “When I first visited the Celebration open house I was amazed at the commitment the parents and town put into such an event that the kids love. Students actually ask their friends to go to Celebration instead of having private parties at their homes. Even younger students who help us decorate anxiously wait for the year they get to participate.”
Principal Jim O’Shea and the schools are strong supporters of the event. “This is a great opportunity for the whole town to come together so that the kids can be with their friends at a great party after the prom,” he said, while noting that the school discourages anyone from having private after-prom parties. “This is all done for the sole purpose of keeping our kids safe,” said O’Shea.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, on a typical prom weekend each spring, 48 teenagers are killed and another 5,200-plus are injured in vehicle crashes. Forty percent of the deaths are alcohol related. Celebration offers a safe, supervised, fun alternative to private prom-night parties. Over the past 30 years, Harvard has not had any prom-night fatalities, and the town wants to keep it that way.
Open House
From 9 to 10 p.m. on prom night, Friday, May 20, the community can visit Celebration before the kids return from their prom at 11 p.m. Parents are encouraged to start bringing their children when they’re in the eighth and ninth grade to get them excited for when they are in the 11th and 12th.
Dobby, the house elf, welcomes guests to a previous Celebration, when the theme was “Harry Potter.” (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Mannequins, special lighting, music, decorative panels, and game tables have infiltrated the school in past years. Entertainment has brought henna artists, massage, glitter-tattoo artists, wandering magicians, an illusionist, a mentalist from Las Vegas, comedians who appeared on Jay Leno. Wonderful food, even chocolate-covered strawberries, abounds. There are prizes for everyone all night long, and other surprises. Each year’s theme is a secret until the prom night. Past themes have included Hollywood, Harry Potter, time travel, musical road trip, and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Helping out
There’s something for everyone to do to help, from administration and fundraising, to decorating, booking entertainment and music, setting up, arranging for food, tearing down, and chaperoning on the night of the event. Everyone is invited to join in: parents, teens, kids, neighbors, friends, relatives—everyone.
When asked about the amount of time she spends working on Celebration, Co-chairwoman Pat Cooper said, “It’s actually sporadic until that final week of crunch time. An hour of your time, or perhaps a little more is what we need.”
Volunteer coordinator Allison Thornton urges parents of teens or pre-teens to get involved. “We need your help,” she said. “You can do many things at home, such as design, or costumes, or enrolling your friends. We especially will need more help on the day and night of the event.” Volunteers can sign up anytime, but they need to have a CORI in order to work with children. The CORI is the Criminal Offender Record Information form that ensures you don’t have a criminal record. It may take up to a month to process. Everyone who works with children must have a CORI application on file with the school department. If you don’t, please contact the Harvard Schools, http://www.psharvard.org for more information.
Cooper said, “It’s amazing how many people in the community come pouring out that night to see what they’ve done. The entire town benefits. If you are asked to provide support, prizes, food, or supervision, remember it does make a difference.”
Please visit www.bromfieldcelebration.com to volunteer, make a donation, and to see some of the incredible transformations of the school over the years.
