By Ava Yergo
Here enters the Community Wellness Council's Midnight Madness party, a post-prom event for all seniors and their dates, with a plethora of entertainment that rivals that of many other after-prom activities. And it's free. This year, the party will offer food, refreshments, a DJ, an airbrush tattoo artist, an illusionist, a comedian, and lots of free giveaways for all Central District participants.
Fran Licausi, director of the Community Wellness Council and one of the organizers of Midnight Madness, started the program with the help of a grant from New York State Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. and Assemblyman David McDonough, both of Merrick, with the aim of preventing drug and alcohol use on prom night.
The first Midnight Madness party took place last year at Sportstime in Lynbrook, attracting more than 120 students. Participants in last year's party were asked to complete a simple survey, and Licausi reported that "the majority said they enjoyed all that was offered, loved the giveaways, were thankful they had a place to go, and wished more kids would have stopped in."
This year, the Wellness Council is looking to attract more students by hosting it in a less sports-oriented environment. Licausi said the event "went very well last year." But, she said, "The nightclub seems to be the atmosphere that kids are looking for."
Licausi and Phyllis Guttilla, a Calhoun High School parent, have made great efforts to promote the party. "Speeches have been made, letters have gone out, posters are being displayed, and donations are still coming in and still being accepted," a Midnight Madness flyer reads.
Mepham High School Principal Michael Harrington supports the party and believes that it offers the students "an opportunity for the class to be together one last time before graduation, when they'll all go off in different directions." He noted, though, that the district "still has some work to do in making this the place to be after prom."
Kate Cartagena, a graduating Calhoun senior and prom-goer, said the post-prom party is "a good idea in theory. " She wonders, however, how many students will attend. "Students have been dancing and eating with the people at prom all night, so why would they want to leave prom to go to what's basically a smaller prom?"
Calhoun senior James Costabile offered this rebuttal: "Everyone makes fun of it, but no one actually understands that they are offering a free backup plan. I went last year, and it was more fun than I thought it would be."
Attracting students to the party is, no doubt, challenging. "Last year was tough," Harrington said. "This year we've made changes to accommodate the students' wants by having it at a nightclub. The students want to have some dancing and have more of a club-like feel, since most students go to clubs after prom anyway." Prom-night clubbers often run into trouble at the door and are locked out of other after-prom options. According to the strict policies of most limousine companies, prom-goers aren't allowed to stray from the list of stops that they must submit to their drivers, leaving them stuck if they're shut out of their after-prom event.
As Licausi and Guttilla say, the Midnight Madness party is an opportunity for all seniors -- even those who did not attend prom -- to " have a place to meet up with friends and continue spending time together on what is basically their last official school night."
