Homeschool Prom, Take 7

The 7th annual Carolina Capital Homeschool Prom took place a week ago, with 350 homeschooled teens and guests, and it literally took me 3 days to recover.  I started this prom seven years ago with my then-16-year-old daughter and a few friends, and have been chairman ever since.  This year my 17-yr-old son attended as a homeschool junior, my 28-yr-old and 22-yr-old daughters were prom photographers, and my husband and I were chaperones, as well as part of the set-up/clean-up committees.  It is a family affair.

Our theme this year was "INVINCIBLE",  inspired by superheroes.  Although it got the most committee votes for 2016 theme, there were several doubters who couldn't envision a "Superhero" prom being elegant and not cheesy birthday party-ish.  I think they were convinced.  My core team of decorator/planners had a vision of an urban "corporate gala" atmosphere, lots of black and white with pops of color, focusing on the inspirational "hero" aspect of the superheroes, not the villains or the darkness sometimes associated with them.

Every year we choose a Benefit Project, and this year, in keeping with the theme, we chose a charity that benefits the families of fallen first responders, Carolina Brotherhood.   We donated $2 from every ticket sold, plus some additional donations that were brought to Prom, for a total of $850.

Carolin Capital Homeschool Prom Countdown

I am heading up our local homeschool prom committee for the 5th year now.   Carolina Capital Homeschool Prom 2014,. "Old Hollywood", is only 4 weeks away.  That is close enough that I'm waking up in the middle of the night with knots in my stomach and a to-do list zinging around in my brain.

It is a fact that much of the Prom planning has gotten easier with time and experience, but parts will never get easier.  The nature of the beast is that our budget consists of the money from ticket sales as well as a few sponsorships.  Tickets sales end 2 weeks before the Prom, so we never know exactly how much money we have until then. We plan and commit and make decisions based on expectations.  It has worked the 4 previous years, sometimes down to just a few dollars being left in the bank account.  But it seriously has produced a lot of my gray hairs.  Last year we had 85 students registered 5 weeks before Prom, and ended up with 195.  It floors me how many people wait until the last minute, especially because the ticket price is the highest then. This year we publicized that we are capping registrations at 200, and are at 180 with 2 weeks of registration left.  It will be interesting to see if we get that last minute avalanche like before, or if  knowing that space was limited actually got people to send their registrations in early.  

One very talented mom heads up our decoration committee, and she comes up with some incredibly creative ideas for table decorations and theme enhancement on a pretty tight budget.   She also creates an amazing candy and dessert display that the kids flock to. 

 Prom 2012 "Moonlight in Paris"

Prom 2013 "Carousel"

Our "Old Hollywood" theme will  have an elegant, classic feel and might include things like pearls, lace, ostrich feathers, a red carpet, an illusionist, paparazzi and a vintage car.  We are currently scrounging up props for our photo station -  boas, beads, fans, top hat, spectacles, frames, etc...

Every year, we choose a Benefit Project for the Prom, to raise awareness and funds for a worthy cause. This year our Benefit is TEN EIGHTEEN, INC., a ministry started by a local homeschool mom. Ten Eighteen is a registered 501(c)3 organization working in Uganda and Andros, Bahamas, providing grants for micro-businesses to women in the slums, building a school, doing youth camps, paying school fees, aiding widows, establishing hospice care, and much more.
Deuteronomy 10:18 - He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.

On Prom night, students will hear a short presentation about Ten Eighteen. They will also be able to make a donation and be entered in a drawing for some fantastic prizes!   Last year we gave away a Dell Laptop and a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet! What will it be this year?
 http://10eighteen.wordpress.com/
http://10eighteen.org/Home_Page.html

If you are a praying person, please join us in praying for good weather on May 2nd!  We are under a shelter and Prom goes on rain or shine, but shine is always SO much nicer for an outdoor event!  

Here are some pics from past years.  I will post an update after it is all over.  

Homeschool Prom 3.0

Part of the reason I've been absent from this blog for the past month is that I've been immersed in Prom planning, among other things. The 3rd annual Carolina Capital Homeschool Prom, which my daughter and I founded and which I still head up, was held on Friday, May 4th. 

We returned to the same venue we have held Prom at the past 2 years, and that is the beautiful Sutherland Estate & Gardens in Wake Forest., NC, and we also featured the same awesome caterer, Rocky Top Hospitality, and disc jockey, Brian Pate Entertainment. This has been a winning trio for the three years we have held this event!  New this year was  photography by I Believe Designs.

Our theme this year was "Moonlight in Paris".    Our mother-daughter Decoration Committee, Sweeter Than Tea, did a phenomenal job of creating an elegant, chic, vintage atmosphere with the Check-in table, table decor, mason jar luminarias, and a fantastic Candy Buffet.  They truly have an incredible gift!

 

 

We had 166 students in attendance this year, from over 27 different towns/cities across central North Carolina. The age range is 14 -21, and there were 3 girls for every 2 guys because we encourage the students to come with friends, and not just with a date, as this Prom is a celebration of homeschooling and of fun and friendship, and not just for "couples". 

We had beautiful weather for Prom night this year, although there was a threat of rain and one very brief and light shower went through during Check-In.  We changed things up a little this year and had a larger event tent so that dinner and dancing were both under cover, rather that dancing under that stars as we have the past 2 years.  Next year, we'll add some fans, as it got a little warm on the dance floor, since the tent held in the heat.  It didn't seem to bother the kids much, although the drink station was kept very busy all evening, and even ran out of cups by the end of the night.

Our Prom does a benefit each year, to raise awareness and donations for a charity or ministry that is near and dear to some member of the Prom Committee. This year, our benefit was the Faith Food Pantry, located at Faith Baptist Church in Youngsville, NC.   We collected "extravagant" items such as shampoo, sunscreen, laundry detergent, toilet paper, toothpaste, etc, which are items that the Food Pantry doesn't regularly have on their shelves but which clients really appreciate. A couple of the young people on our committee prepared a slide show of a day volunteering at the Food Pantry, and Jacob spoke to the guests about the impact of the ministry and ways to  be involved.

 Mr. and Mrs. Rego preparing to accept donations.

Door prizes this year were donated by Lighthouse Christian Homeschool Association as well as a couple of parents.  We drew names and gave away a number of gift cards for things like iTunes, Chilis, Starbucks, and Champs Sporting Goods, as well as a couple of cool Gift Baskets.  One contained 2 Movie passes to  Marquee Cinemas, as well as a variety of snacks. Another was a French-themed basket containing French cookies, soap, Eiffel Tower notebook and stickers, and a DVD of Les Miserables.  There was also a Summer Fun gift basket containing a beach towel, sunscreen, Dairy Queen gift certificate, beach ball, and other goodies.

Of course, our Prom wouldn't be possible without our wonderful chaperones and Sponsors. We had 22 parent chaperones this year, who also enjoyed the evening very much as they kept an eye on things and made sure everyone stayed safe and behaved themselves. They might not be out there on the dance floor working up a sweat, but they do work hard!  By the end of the night, my legs were shot, my feet were killing me, and I was exhausted.  But we all love seeing the kids have such a great time!

We are also very thankful to the local businesses who supported Prom this year as Sponsors.

Sue Patrick's Workbox System

Rego Automotive

The Wake Weekly

Armstrong Wealth Management

Sweeter Than Tea

Dr. Brian Ransone - Chiropractic Partners

Wake Forest Awards and Engraving

Countdown begins for Prom 2013!

Carolina Capital Homeschool Prom 2011 - "Masquerade"

Wow! After an intense week of final preparations and stressing over the weather, Friday night's "Masquerade" was a beautiful and successful event! One hundred seventy-five homeschool students and alumni - ages 14-21 - descended on The Sutherland in all their glorious Prom attire as the sun shone and rain clouds slipped by to the south.

My morning and afternoon had been spent running some last minute errands to get a few more pearl garlands and candles for the centerpieces, then to The Sutherland to help assemble luminarias and table centerpieces, then home to grab a bite to eat and change clothes, then off to where the girls were getting ready to take pictures, then back to The Sutherland for last minute preparations before the guests arrived in full force! All day long I had been checking the DOPPLER radar on WRAL's website, because the forecast was for rain from about 4pm - 8pm,. which was when guests were scheduled to arrive, get pictures taken and eat. Since our Prom is OUTDOORS, rain in the forecast is quite stressful! The dining area is under a reception tent, but the dance floor is open air, and there was not another tent available to rent at the last minute. We placed the assembled luminarias under cover and delayed setting up our check-in table, waiting for one of the chaperones to bring a picnic canopy to go over it. My oldest daughter, who is Prom photographer, planned to set up for portraits inside the house. But God heard our prayers, and miraculously, this little gap in the clouds slid right over our location, leaving us dry and sunny all afternoon!

A last minute addition to the evening was the hiring of illusionist/ comedian Paul Miller, who mingled with the guests, donning some crazy Russian persona and doing up-close illusions. He was hilarious and very entertaining.

Once everyone was under the tent for dinner -  a delicious  buffet of salad, rolls, chicken dijon, bbq boneless beef short ribs, mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots, provided by our caterer 1705 Prime/Rocky Top Hospitality -  a line of showers moved in, and we had to quickly move the photographer and check-in table indoors as well as gather up the luminarias ( paper bags + rain don't mix ) and cover the DJ's lights/equipment! 

The guests didn't seem to mind, and although the music and dancing was delayed by about a half hour, our magician jumped in with a juggling/comedy routine to fill the void!

The rain lasted about 45 minutes or so, and then the skies cleared, so we quickly reset up the DJ's lights and sound system and got the kids out on the dance floor, where they rocked for the rest of the night!  We gave away a bunch of door prizes and paused at about 10pm for dessert and a brief presentation from Joy C. about our benefit, Meet Me at the Bridge.  We also got to sing "Happy Birthday" to Solomon M. ....  IN PERSON.!!!  At last year's Prom, we raised money for the Kolfe Orphanage in Ethiopia, where Solomon lived, and connected with him via Skype to sing "Happy Birthday".  Shortly after that, God performed some serious miracles which brought Solomon to the USA on a student visa to study at the College at Southeastern. So Solomon was our special guest at Prom this year. 

Prom ended too soon for the students, but my feet were killing me and I was ready to pack up and go home.  It was a fantastic night and it is very satisfying to know that 175 homeschool teens had one of those "memorable nights" that they will fondly look back on years and years and years from now - as I do with my one-and-only high school prom, which I attended with a friend who later became my husband. :-)

www.carolinacapitalhomeschoolprom.com