Prom is on — Parents sponsor dance for Dalton students

DGKN staff report

A group of Dalton High School parents are organizing a dance and after-prom activities for juniors and seniors next month.

The goal is to provide a magical memorable evening for students thanks to input from Dalton seniors and juniors themselves.

The dance will be 8 p.m. to midnight May 1 at Kidron Community Park Event Center, 4434 Kidron Road. Each junior and senior may bring one guest. The guest is not required to be a Dalton High School student, but must be younger than 21.

Parents will chaperone the dance and once students leave the premises they are not permitted to return.

The after prom begins at midnight and runs through 2:30 or 3 a.m. Students are encouraged to bring comfy clothes to change into to enjoy games outside and inside, and roasting marshmallows.

Tickets are $10 per person and are available through April 28 at the Dalton Gazette & Kidron News office in downtown Dalton at 28 W Main St.

Elonie Christian, mom of a senior and one of the lead organizers, said the event aims to be a relaxing, fun event and students can choose to wear formal or casual attire for the dance. Students are welcome to attend and hang out with their friends regardless of whether they attend the school-sponsored dinner and grand march .

“We want the kids to be able to feel comfortable and come and enjoy a night of fun with their friends,” Christian said. “That’s what this is all about — the juniors and seniors and their friends.”

A dinner and the traditional grand march are being sponsored by Dalton Local Schools, and students will be dismissed afterward.

The dance and after-prom activities are sponsored and under the supervision of parents, but the school district has been made aware of the event.

To tailor the event toward the teens, the parents enlisted the help of seniors Adam Jarrett and Amelia Knetzer and juniors Tyler Ramseyer and Chloe Simmons to gather suggestions. Senior Landree Siders designed the tickets.

Knetzer set the tone with the theme “Fairy Garden” and she shared her vision for the décor. Jarrett said the students requested a DJ and provided a wishlist of foods including sparkling grape juice and punch with sherbet ice cream. Glow tag and capture the flag outside and games in the event center were among students’ ideas, along with ending the night with s’mores.

“Those are things I think will make it memorable for them,” Christian said. “We’re going to make it as magical for them as we possibly can.”
Christian said that Betty Geiser at Kidron Community Park has been great to work with and they have arranged to be able to reserve the back ballfield at midnight so students can play kickball, glow tag and capture the flag. In the event building, students will have board and card games set up on tables.

Christian said parents from a couple other area school districts are hosting something similar for their schools’ juniors and seniors.

She said organizing the prom and after-prom has been a “team effort.” She noted that moms Kaysie Ramseyer and Wendy Simmons are leading efforts for the junior class. People already are making donations of food and decorations.

“We can’t accomplish this without a team,” she said. “Anything positive we can do for them, I’m all in. This is for the kids. This is what they want. We’re the conduit to get this done for them.”

Parents, business owners and community members are welcome to donate money, snacks or beverages through an online sign-up. Anyone is welcome to access signupgenius.com and search for: “Dalton 2021 Prom Dance.” For more information, contact Techristian@embarqmail.com or mattnkaysie@ yahoo.com.