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A Prom Night Plan
Avoiding the Perils of Drunk Driving
By Julia Rosien
Linda Harper, guidance secretary at NLRHS, estimates that three-quarters of the seniors go to the post-prom party. "No one may leave and come back in," she says. "It's a firm rule." The prizes at the end of the evening encourage everyone to stay for the whole party. The big prize is $500 cash, and one year they offered 20 cash prizes of $100 each. Organizers also draw names for microwaves, dorm refrigerators, televisions and stereos – things kids heading off to college always need. "Every year it gets bigger and better," Harper says. "The students love it!"
After the all-night bash, parents invite the kids at NLRHS into their homes for a big breakfast. Because so many students participate, they influence each other and more get involved each year.
Heather Bushwald graduated from Burford District High School in Ontario with great memories of an entire night spent at an amusement park. "We [student council] wanted to do something really different, and when Canada's Wonderland started this program, we knew it was the one for us," she says.
Bushwald's high school is one of many that choose an alternative to the glitz and glamour of a formal prom. The night is open to all schools in Ontario. All kids must arrive and leave the park by bus. Check in time is 6 p.m., departure time is 5 a.m., and the park gates are locked at night.
The park is closed to the public, and many companies set up booths giving freebies to the kids. Karaoke, a live band and all-night rides add to the fun and excitement. The flat-rate entry fee supplies kids with food coupons to last the night.
The fact that organizers searched bags before entry didn't bother most kids. "It made us feel safe knowing that no one could smuggle drugs or alcohol into the park," Bushwald says. One classmate had prescription sleeping pills in her purse, and they were confiscated. "It's no different than going to a concert," she says. "You just don't bring that kind of stuff."
