The AHS Key Club is preparing to host their Senior Prom; however, unlike most proms, this one isn’t for seniors in high school- it’s for senior citizens. Just like high school prom, it will be an exciting evening of dancing, music, and socializing hosted for the residents of Emeritus Retirement Home.
The Key Club will host the Senior Prom for senior citizens at Emeritus Retirement Home on April 12. Key Club members anticipate a successful and enjoyable night for everyone involved.
“[It’s] like a play on words: senior prom, senior in high school, senior citizen,” Key Club president junior Christine Tamir said.
Key Club, a community service program, focuses their community service efforts on a cause chosen by the current president
“Every president for Key Club brings a cause that they’re passionate about and I think my favorite is giving back to our senior citizens,” Tamir said.
This year, the club is turning their respect for senior citizens into a unique spin on Prom. They’re hoping to use this as an opportunity to give the residents of Emeritus Retirement Home a fun evening, while also reminding them that they are still a valued part of the community.
“I think that it’s really exciting that our members are getting involved with senior citizens and spending their time bringing some excitement to this retirement community,” co-sponsor Lindsay Zurawski said.
Key Club members are also using the Senior Prom to raise awareness and appreciation for senior citizens: while many would agree that seniors are appreciated and loved members of the community, they’re not always at the forefront of the mind.
“I think the senior citizens are kind of like forgotten parts of our culture and of our society,” Tamir said. “Not everyone knows that they’re actually not just sitting there knitting…they want to do a lot of the things that we do every day and I think that’s kind of why I wanted to do it, to really establish a kind of new type of relationship between high school students and senior citizens.”
The Prom allows students to build relationships with Emeritus residents while also providing a service and having a good time. Several club members and officers will be building on relationships that began at the Emeritus Young At Heart Valentines Day dance. Emeritus invited students to attend in order to familiarize themselves with the retirement home and to start establishing relationships with residents.
“When we went for the Valentine’s Day dance, they had a blast,” sophomore Megan Pendergast said. “All of them were clapping and dancing and they stood up and were talking and interacting and they were so excited when we walked in. We were just dancing and having a blast and they were clapping. It was so much fun They had a ball.”
Key Club is hoping for a similar reaction to their Prom: positive, energetic, and fun for both the students and the senior citizens.
“I look forward to working with the other members to make this an enjoyable event for the elderly that live there,” co-treasurer senior Wenhui Huang said. “It’s a unique opportunity for members to interact with these people and perhaps get a different glimpse of life.”
Although Key Club is hosting the event, they are looking to collaborate with other clubs and organizations, including Leadership and the Thespian Honors Society, and are open to student involvement. Anyone interested in participating is encourage to contact Key Club to get involved.
“We’re trying to make it a school-wide effort instead of just hiring people,” Tamir said. “That way we give the opportunity to give back and get involved to a lot of AHS students. [If] you have any ideas, suggestions, comments, [or] you want to be involved, you want to make the playlist, we welcome anybody who wants to contribute. We will award service hours and it’s really just a great way to give back.”
“I am looking forward most to the look on everyones faces when it all comes together,” Zurawski said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
