I have not mentioned here that aside from my part-time work with Concept Magic, (yes, it's merely part-time, but I feel like I'm on-call 24/7) I also work as a teacher in a small private high school.
But then again, that alone is another multi-tasking function that I have in the school. Aside from handling all the English Communication subjects of the Sophomores and Seniors, I also handle several other subjects, such as the Seniors' elective classes (Film Theory, Introduction to Humanities - focusing on Aesthetics and a touch of Metaphysics, and Project Management) as well as Values Education for the Sophomores (I was appointed to be their class adviser). On top of all of that teaching load, I was also given the special role of Special Projects Coordinator - the event coordinator of the school.
So February 15 found me attending (and organizing) a special event for some of the high school students: The Junior-Senior Turnover Ceremony (which literally translates to their prom night.) Since these students did not really want to spend extravagantly on such an occasion, we tried to keep it as simple, yet meaningful as possible.
Working on a budget that the school administration and the students agreed upon, we came up with the theme of "Dancing Through The Years" featuring music from the 60s to the 90s. It was great fun! With the help of Marlene, our personal friend and caterer, we were able to transform the ground floor of the Village East Clubhouse into a place for the students (and some faculty members) to enjoy. We thought of using loud retro colors like purple, yellow and orange to emphasize on the theme, and true enough, the decors, from the balloon centerpieces to the cloth swags, helped in making it a truly festive affair.
Of course, I wanted it to be as memorable as possible for the individuals (and their dates) who attended the event, so I created a simple lighting design, carefully selected a compilation of great songs (from the 60s to the 90s), hired the sound system and lights provider whom I dearly trusted, created a short but meaningful program, trained some Sophomore students to be the emcees (with cue cards!) and ushers for the night, taught the students how to do the Swing, Cha-Cha and L.A. Walk (hey, of course we had to go with the theme!), and gave wacky table names, such as "Boy George and The Culture Club," "Hagibis," "Jimi Hendrix," "Aqua" and the like (obviously, we really full-throttled the theme.) It was a good thing that the kids were good sports. They were all for it!
Everything about that night was different mainly because it deviated from the traditional notions of how a prom is done, and I was so happy with the turn-out of events during that activity. We even had a "Human Bingo" ice breaker and the mandatory switching of partners (I ended up dancing with a few students myself) during the slow dance portion of the program. Students grooved to the beat of songs which made the charts more than a decade ago, and the Seniors even prepared a dance number similar to the prom scene in the movie "She's All That" - letting loose to the tune of Fatboy Slim's "The Rockafeller Skank."
How I wish my very own high school prom was like this back then! The food was sumptuous (for inquiries regarding the caterer, contact Marlene at (02)5156841 or 09274027533 - humongous buffets with bottomless drinks at very affordable prices!), the students were allowed to drink wine for the toast, and everyone, including the teachers were having the time of their lives. It was a total blast, and I'm sure every single one of those students and their dates will remember this night for years to come. :-)
*Photos courtesy of Sam Veneracion.
But then again, that alone is another multi-tasking function that I have in the school. Aside from handling all the English Communication subjects of the Sophomores and Seniors, I also handle several other subjects, such as the Seniors' elective classes (Film Theory, Introduction to Humanities - focusing on Aesthetics and a touch of Metaphysics, and Project Management) as well as Values Education for the Sophomores (I was appointed to be their class adviser). On top of all of that teaching load, I was also given the special role of Special Projects Coordinator - the event coordinator of the school.
So February 15 found me attending (and organizing) a special event for some of the high school students: The Junior-Senior Turnover Ceremony (which literally translates to their prom night.) Since these students did not really want to spend extravagantly on such an occasion, we tried to keep it as simple, yet meaningful as possible.
Working on a budget that the school administration and the students agreed upon, we came up with the theme of "Dancing Through The Years" featuring music from the 60s to the 90s. It was great fun! With the help of Marlene, our personal friend and caterer, we were able to transform the ground floor of the Village East Clubhouse into a place for the students (and some faculty members) to enjoy. We thought of using loud retro colors like purple, yellow and orange to emphasize on the theme, and true enough, the decors, from the balloon centerpieces to the cloth swags, helped in making it a truly festive affair.
Of course, I wanted it to be as memorable as possible for the individuals (and their dates) who attended the event, so I created a simple lighting design, carefully selected a compilation of great songs (from the 60s to the 90s), hired the sound system and lights provider whom I dearly trusted, created a short but meaningful program, trained some Sophomore students to be the emcees (with cue cards!) and ushers for the night, taught the students how to do the Swing, Cha-Cha and L.A. Walk (hey, of course we had to go with the theme!), and gave wacky table names, such as "Boy George and The Culture Club," "Hagibis," "Jimi Hendrix," "Aqua" and the like (obviously, we really full-throttled the theme.) It was a good thing that the kids were good sports. They were all for it!
Everything about that night was different mainly because it deviated from the traditional notions of how a prom is done, and I was so happy with the turn-out of events during that activity. We even had a "Human Bingo" ice breaker and the mandatory switching of partners (I ended up dancing with a few students myself) during the slow dance portion of the program. Students grooved to the beat of songs which made the charts more than a decade ago, and the Seniors even prepared a dance number similar to the prom scene in the movie "She's All That" - letting loose to the tune of Fatboy Slim's "The Rockafeller Skank."
How I wish my very own high school prom was like this back then! The food was sumptuous (for inquiries regarding the caterer, contact Marlene at (02)5156841 or 09274027533 - humongous buffets with bottomless drinks at very affordable prices!), the students were allowed to drink wine for the toast, and everyone, including the teachers were having the time of their lives. It was a total blast, and I'm sure every single one of those students and their dates will remember this night for years to come. :-)
*Photos courtesy of Sam Veneracion.
