Prom: one night of fun, one year of work

In the months leading up to the culmination of their high school career, most Oceanside High School students are focused on working up the courage to ask their crush to the prom, planning limo groups or finding the perfect dress. What very few consider, however, is that even months in advance, careful planning goes into the creation of the prom and the Dawn Delirium after-party.

“It’s an incredibly important event for our students at the end of their scholastic career with us,” said OHS Principal Mark Secaur. “Once the school year starts, the planning starts. The PTA starts putting together revenue streams for fundraising, and they do a great job in getting word out to the parents.”

Along with the PTA, the senior advisors, Danielle Block and Robert Kiley, hold fundraisers and organize mandatory meetings at which students and their parents discuss safe decision making, which includes what limo companies to use as well as the dangers of alcohol and drugs.

Because of its large student body, Secaur said, OHS doesn’t have many options when it comes to choosing a venue for the prom. Since the school first used Crest Hollow Country Club as a venue six years ago, Secaur said, “We’ve really found a home.”

The student-run prom committee chooses a theme and a DJ. DJ Anthony will emcee this year’s Mardi Gras-theme prom.

While the night can be an expensive one, with $110 entrance tickets, new outfits, limo rides and photos, the PTA also works year-round on the after-party, which is a free supplement to the prom for many and even an alternative for some.

“Obviously we do it for two reasons,” said Sandie Schoell, a Board of Education trustee and a Dawn Delirium liaison. “One is to give students a cost-free place to go after the prom, and two, to give them a safe place to be and hopefully encourage them to make good choices and good decisions.”

According to Schoell, preparation and fundraising for Dawn Delirium begin immediately after the previous year’s event ends. Right away, program coordinators discuss what went right, what went wrong and how it can be improved. Fundraisers are held throughout the year, with the goal of having $50,000 in the bank by the time planning for Dawn Delirium hits full gear.

The main fundraiser is the sale of “adopt-a-senior” tickets, lottery tickets for the night’s raffles. Parents, family members and friends can buy tickets in a student’s name. The more tickets a student has, the greater his or her chance of winning a prize.

The budget covers the venue (Warehouse 5 at the Bridgeview Yacht Club in Island Park) as well as the prizes, which are raffled off throughout the night. The grand prize for one lucky graduate is a new car, and that alone accounts for $16,000 of the budget.

The number of phones, tablets, cameras and other electronic devices that can be given out as prizes depends on fundraising efforts. This year, the prize budget was $8,500, though less was spent because the PTA is still a few thousand dollars short of its goal.

“It’s been a tough year — we didn’t raise as much as we wanted to,” Schoell said. “It’s a tough economic time, and we understand that not all the businesses can afford to give donations anymore.”

The hard work of the planning committee, which is dedicated to keeping the seniors safe on a night that is often known for dangerous choices, invariably pays off: Dawn Delirium usually draws a crowd of 500 to 600 seniors and their guests.

“This is our community, and we don’t want to wake up after prom and read about a tragedy,” Schoell explained. “We’re here to protect the children of our community, and that’s why this is important to us. If we can save one life, that means so much to us.”