Evaluation+and+Recommendations

The general consensus of all committees, with the feedback from officers, students and parents, was that the Prom was a huge success. We would definitely recommend that Prom be held at SU again. The SU staff was extremely accomodating and very helpful. We were happy with all facets of the prom and we feel that we planned well for every situation. We are particularly pleased that we were able to designate so much of our budget for gifts and food instead of decorations. The facilities at SU were so beautiful that we did only minimal decorations. Consequently, we were able to buy 28 gifts (laptops, IPOD touch, IPOD homes, WII's, Rock Band, Guitar Hero and gift certificates) and we spent 3,000 on food, including the chocolate fountain. Having senior parents donate the water bottles (28 cases, could have used more) was a great help. Additionally, Grand March and Promenade went well, and we were able to give EVERY JMB senior 2 free tickets for Grand March with the purchase of their prom ticket and then 2 more (for a total of 4) after all prom tickets had been sold. Grand March started at 7:30 and was done by 8:15, the shortest time in recent memory. We sold 307 tickets to the Prom. We were also pleased that there were only two interruptions during the dance: one at 10:00 to announce the first winners of the prizes and the Prom Court, and then one at 11:30 to announce the second group of winners of the prizes. Using DJ Force (Eric Massey) and his website that allowed students to preselect music worked exceptionally well. 1. Hold Grand March outside with the stipulation that if it rains, Grand March will be cancelled (with that decision made by 3:00 p.m. the day of the Prom). The problem with doing Grand March in Holloway Hall was that after a couple was introduced, their parents left when the couple did so that they could watch them "Promenade" down the path to the Commons. Therefore, there was constant movement, and by the middle of Grand March, half of the auditorium had left. If held in Holloway Hall, as it was this year, another recommendation would be to have the Meet and Greet part of Grand March take place in the Great Hall and receiving room at Holloway after the Grand March. 2. Do not announce the couple until they reach the middle of the stage...where the balloon arches were. The students need instruction as to what to do when it is their turn on stage. 3. Volunteer help for Grand March needs to be assigned specific tasks. 4. There should be several people checking ID's and tickets with the people who are checking students off on the list as they arrive. This year we only had one person on each job. While there was only a brief period of time with a backup of students, it could have been avoided with additional help. All students had gone through "check in" by 7:50. 5. Balloon columns on the stage were great, and served to mark where the students should stand for recognition. 1. Fewer tables were needed in the Commons. Students only used those tables closest to the dance floor. Most students danced the entire time, when not out in the Rotunda area, eating. 2. Some discussion of how small/large the dance floor should be. Adults felt it was too small, students felt it was just right...that they like being so close together. 3. The columns that we rented from Jim Gray were too light and too tall. There was much worry that they would fall or be knocked over. 1. The sashes used to identify each member of the Prom Court were very favorably received. Having the entire court walk in, with the dance floor lined with the students attending, was very nice. 2. Prom Court, King and Queen, should be announced BEFORE the first round of gifts. We still feel that 10:30 was the proper time to announce the gift winners and the court, just the order reversed. 3. The Gift tables should be moved away from the DJ...to the sidewall. The Gift Committee felt that they could have used more help when the prizes were announced. They also recommend flashlights, so that they can see the I.D.'s in the dark, and they would have appreciated having a duplicate list of the winners' names (they had to wait for the DJ to finish announcing the names to get their copy back). 1. We felt that the senior Prom assembly held two weeks prior to Prom this year was a huge success. We would recommend that this assembly be held earlier, sometime in April prior to the Junior Senior Banquet. Then Prom details (with voting for Prom Queen/King), graduation details AND voting for the Senior Superlatives could be done all at one time, eliminating interference with Senior English classes. 2. We also feel that a Fall Senior Assembly would be an excellent idea. Students could vote on the Prom Theme, could get wikispace information, order T-shirts, and have behavior stressed with Code of Conduct. We would recommend that seniors be required to sit in the middle section of the auditorium instead of being allowed to spread throughout the auditorium. 1. There should be specific directions for the parents selling the prom tickets, including where to put the ticket box each day after lunch shifts. 2. If tickets are part of a "package", such as the candy box this year, they should be given to students separately. It was difficult this year to open each candy box and record the number on the ticket. We recommend that students give suggestions at lunch shifts followed by the officers and parents narrowing down the list of selections to 5 viable choices. Have the seniors vote on those 5 choices ONLY at the senior fall assembly. This past year there were more than 20 choices that the seniors voted on, meaning that the winning prom theme was chosen by about 30 students (5 prom themes received between 20 - 30 votes and all of the others received anywhere from 5 - 20 votes). 1. Security: In addition to the SU security force, which patrolled the outside areas of the prom, we were told that we must have 4 county deputies for the inside areas. Despite multiple efforts, we could not get these 4 officers to separate and leave the one room that they settled in. Not once, that we are aware of, did they leave this side room and patrol any area where the students were. We feel that we wasted a lot of money on these deputies. This is the most serious area that should be addressed in the future. 2. The open-ended billing system from SU gave us some concern. While we knew upfront what the cost for the facility and the tech people would be, we still do not have a final bill for security, food and custodial services. Perhaps it is because this was the first time holding a Prom at SU. In the future, it would be prudent to have all costs delineated in the beginning. The Prom budget NEEDS to be established at the very beginning of the year. 3. AFTER PROM PARTY: Do NOT put it to a vote.....just do it. Parkside's after prom party was a huge success this past year, and many Bennett students asked about a JMB after prom party. Since our prom was a month after the Parkside prom, JMB students knew all about their party. 4. More senior students should be involved in the prom process. The question is how to get them involved???
 *  Evaluation **
 * Recommendations **
 * Grand March:**
 * SU Facilities:**
 * Gifts and Prom Court:**
 * Senior Assemblies:**
 * Prom Ticket Sales:**
 * Prom Theme Selection**
 * Areas of concern for the future:**

MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK!!!