Similar to the man described in The Jackson’s Blame It On the Boogie, the students in attendance at the Best Buddies Prom on Friday, May 13 preferred to dance more than anything else. Club advisors Mrs. Kathryn Clark, English, Mrs. Kim Freeman, Physical Education, Mrs. Karen Brann, West Lake, and Mrs. Cyndi Hoffman West Lake, were in attendance to help organize the dance and set up prior to the arrival of the students. Club president Haylei Rugis (12) also helped set up alongside many other club members. The dance was held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the South Cafeteria. The theme One Thousand and One nights was reused from Lake Central’s Prom on May 7.
“Traditionally, we stick with the same theme that Lake Central’s official Prom is. We have received a lot of decorations from them. We like sticking with their same color theme and ideas. A couple years back, when our organization had close to no funds, it was helpful for us to do this. This year, [my favorite decoration is] the entry way. This year was the first year we have had parents and Lake Central aides setting stuff up ahead of time and it has been wonderful,” Mrs. Clark said.
The ladies in charge this year put in a lot of effort, and the decorations appeared to be a crowd pleaser, but paled in comparison to the student’s reaction to the music that was played that night. DJ Wayne Para from Five Star DJ & Karaoke Entertainment mixed alongside his long time friend and assistant Mrs. Mary Ford.
“The best part about DJing for this group in seeing the smiles on their faces. Tonight, we brought a new piece of equipment with us. We brought a movie camera with us that will project the students dancing up on the screen. We just thought that the students would really like it and we are hoping that they do. [We will be playing] upbeat and clean-edited music. That is what the kids seem to like and we will also be playing a few slow ones. We do dances for all age groups and have the latest music. [Mr. Para] will also be playing line dance songs in which the kids will be able to follow along, such as the Cupid Shuffle, the Cha-Cha Slide or the Electric Slide which is a little more involved but should be easy to learn,” Mrs. Ford said.
