The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Star Struck: 'It was like going to the Academy Awards,' a school counselor said of Broadway High School's first-ever junior-senior prom, held May 31.

Broadway's starry night is the talk of the school

Continuation school holds first-ever prom

By Christine Frey

Decked out in black ties and beaded dresses, party-goers strolled down the "Avenue of the Stars" and waved to the paparazzi who caught their smiles on film. Bystanders looked on admiringly, "oohing" and "ahhing" at the glamour before them. The event: Broadway High School's first-ever junior-senior prom.

"It was like going to the Academy Awards," says Cary Reyes, a counselor at Broadway who attended the dance.

Although far from Hollywood, the Willow Glen Senior Center was transformed into a "Night Under the Stars" on May 31. Stars, each one printed with a student's name, lined the entrance, and gold and silver lights twinkled on the walls and tables. But despite the celestial setting, the smiles of the Broadway students shone the brightest.

Broadway, a continuation high school that opened in 1982, has never held a school dance. Reyes says this is due to the transitional nature of the student population. Because students enter and leave Broadway throughout the year, there has not been a core student group to organize the event. The student council attempted to plan the prom earlier this year but was overwhelmed by the task.

"They wanted it to happen, but they didn't have the time," says Shannon Schauff, the case manager and program coordinator for Vision of Success, a support program at Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Schauff was informed of the school's situation by VOS member and Broadway senior Martha Herrera. The two then approached Broadway principal Susan Votaw with their proposal for a prom.

Votaw, who was enthusiastic about the idea, says school activities do not generally occur outside the school day.

"Traditionally, continuation high schools have not had normal school activities," she says. "We don't have athletic teams. We're not in leagues. Because the school is small, we haven't done dances in the past."

However, she says the school is looking to add extracurricular and co-curricular activities.

Reyes, who organized Broadway's first senior trip last year, says it is time for the students to participate in activities that other local high schools have been sponsoring for years. "They deserve it, just as seniors at any other high school do," she says.

Of the school's 81 juniors and seniors, about 58 attended the prom.

"The next day, it was the talk of the school," Herrera says.

Votaw gives credit for the prom's success to the work of those at Big Brothers/Big Sisters who organized the dance in three weeks. "They were absolutely wonderful," she says. "I can't say enough about those folks."

Many others donated their services to the event. Among other donors, the Willow Glen Senior Center offered a lower rental fee, Walmart contributed a gift certificate, Richard's Photography Studio gave discounts on photo packages, Discogotech Mobile Disc Jockey supplied music and the local police provided security free of charge.

"It was just such a collaboration and such an effort to make sure this happened for the kids," Schauff says.

The Broadway faculty was also involved. Many sold the $20-per-couple tickets and chaperoned the event.

Like most of the organizers, Dave Rogers of Discogotech Mobile Disc Jockey says he hopes Broadway will make the junior-senior prom a tradition. "I hope to be asked to come again next year," he says.

Votaw says it is a good possibility. "Now that it's been done, it'll be done again," she asserts.

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