Celebration is one of those unique events that make Harvard special. Clichéd as it sounds, there aren’t many other towns with a tradition quite like it. For that matter, there aren’t many other towns that create an environment where students can spend the early morning post-prom hours without nefarious substances that could very well damage their bright futures.
Founded in 1997, Celebration is the “safe haven,” free, post-prom party provided to the teens of Harvard by parents and others. Every year, the committee decides on a theme, decorates a significant portion of the school to match the theme, and offers a bunch of activities to color the night, including massages, caricatures, Ping-Pong, and more.
In one recent year, the committee decorated the school like a cruise ship. In another, the parents created an entire theme dedicated to the Harry Potter series.
In all honesty, to me as a young person, a parent-sponsored, substance-free event sounds dreadfully unappealing and pretty lame. But ironically, Celebration is one of my favorite memories of Bromfield. In fact, practically everyone goes to Celebration, even students who choose not to go to the prom itself.
The event description itself may sound super dorky to an outsider, and activities at Celebration like playing laser tag at 2 a.m. in the high school gym also sound pretty dorky, but it’s exactly the opposite.
Across the nation, for many people under age 21, and even over age 21, your worth is determined by your alcohol tolerance or how “baked” you are. Staying alcohol-free at least until age 21 and staying substance-free in general often comes with a huge social stigma. The typical high school party involves underage drinking and perhaps some marijuana, and post-prom ones aren’t any different.
But in Harvard, that pressure is closer to nonexistent than prevalent. In part, that is because of the efforts of Celebration. The parents of Harvard create a substance-free event that is actually fun for juniors, seniors, and their dates. Celebration is one of the most anticipated events of a Bromfield student’s high school career, and most students don’t drink after prom because they’re too busy enjoying themselves at Celebration.
Safe haven with decorations
Celebration is one reason that Harvard has avoided a post-prom tragedy since the event began. Celebration has helped with the development of our young people just as much as academics, sports, drama, and everything else has. Celebration, if even for one night, alleviates the pressure placed on young people to completely trash their bodies with the harmful chemicals found in alcohol, marijuana, and hard drugs.
Besides the “safe-haven” concept, one of the most special things about Celebration is certainly the decorations. This year, the Celebration committee, headed by Patricia Cooper, themed the event “BromiCon,” which manifested in a fusion of superhero paraphernalia and Star Wars cutouts.
Bromfield alumna Jenny Specht thought the committee’s execution of the theme did a good job of including well-known pop culture trademarks, even though the premise of the theme itself caters to a niche, often self-described “nerd” audience.
The attention to detail this year was especially high. Superhero costumes hung from a clothesline above the photo-op station. A chaperone stood dutifully with his dog, both posing as Game of Thrones characters. Beautifully executed Roy Lichtenstein-copycat paintings lined the walls around a candy counter that volunteers had built from the ground up.
Alumni return
This Celebration was also unique in that so many of the night’s chaperones were alumni. Including myself and Specht, several members of the Class of 2015 helped out, including Zane Atwood, Loren Beale, Nicky Chapman, Annie Cooper, Kyra Doher, Peter Donaldson, Cameron Hamilton, Lindsay Kerr, Kelly O’Shea, Ryan Robinson and Rory Wirch. Additionally, Class of 2014 graduates Colleen O’Shea and Preston Wilkey also offered their services for the night. Gina Millard and Andrew Tonge rounded out the alumni volunteer list.
We helped out with the night’s events, including henna tattooing, a scavenger hunt, and judging the end-of-the-night “Minute To Win It” competition. The game was played tournament style, where students made teams of four with their friends and participated in competitions like getting the most Oreos off their faces and into their mouths in less than 60 seconds.
The “Minute To Win It” competition, while it probably wasn’t intended as a metaphor, serves as a great one. The pure joy of eating Oreos in a weird way is so symbolic of the quirky, innocent, and fun environment that the Celebration committee creates every year with grace and style.
Casey Russell is a 2015 graduate of the Bromfield School. She is a sophomore at Syracuse University.
David Erdos checks out the photo wall where baby and toddler pictures can be flipped up to show today’s seniors. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz unless otherwise noted)
Right, from left: David Beckett, Fletcher Goodell, and Aidan Long react to the cartoon-themed hallway.
Chef Paul? Or Wolverine?
Students enjoy a giant game of Twister during the open house.
Late into the night, Larry Miller (left) deals cards to Julia Leblanc and Will Thompson. (Photo by Daniel Shrives)
