With Spring finally in the air, Prom is not far behind. On April 3, a large gathering of friends, family, and community members braved a rainy evening to attend the Prom Fashion Show at Rocky River High School.
It was the sixth presentation of this annual fundraising event, hosted by the high school’s Service Learning class, led by Family and Consumer Science Teacher Mrs. Kristen Kalinowski. Sixty seniors—thirty boys and thirty girls—were selected by teacher recommendation to participate as models for the show. The couples were paired up by height and given the challenge to see which couple could raise the most money.
Students in Mrs. Kalinowski’s Service Learning class selected two causes to support this year, with couples choosing which of the two they’d like their money to go to. The first is Challenge Days, the annual event for 7th graders that provides the middle school students with experiential programs that teach them empathy and respect for peers. The second cause for which the funds were raised is TEAM STEPHEN, for Stephen Carey, a 2013 graduate of RRHS who is battling lymphoma.
These two causes, one that involves seventh-graders these seniors don’t even know, and another for an individual who is close to their hearts, demonstrate the far reaches of the Service Learning curriculum. Part of the intention of the class to give students real-world skills and tools to make significant changes in their community.
For the Prom Fashion Show, Mrs. Kalinowski’s students created a letter that they then gave to members of the community, explaining their goals and requesting support in the form of donations. This early step towards creating a successful fund-raiser paid off in the form of several dozen gift baskets from local businesses that were part of an ongoing raffle at the back of the commons while the fashion show was taking place. Donations also came in the form of formal wear loaned for the show, including dresses from David’s Bridal and Dillard’s and Tuxedos from Tuxedo Junction.
Each couple was announced by student MC Grace Lehani, who also gave a brief description of each girl’s dress. The couples walked to the end of the runway and struck a pose of their choosing, anything from the boy on one knee with a rose to the girl jumping into her escort’s arms to the pair throwing fake money into the crowd.
The high point of the evening was after each glowing couple had been presented. The 60 students all stood together on the runway and danced a lively, choreographed number. Afterwards, each couple held the donation box that was adorned with their names and a photo. Audience members, each of whom had paid four dollars to attend, then had the opportunity to place money in the box of their choice, with each donation serving as a “vote” for that couple. The votes, or dollars, will be tallied and the couple who raises the most will be declared the winners.
Of course, Challenge Day and TEAM STEPHEN will be the two groups who benefit from the Prom Fashion Show the most. In both cases, the recipients are members of the Rocky River City School Community who will see in a tangible way that their fellow students care about them.
And students in Mrs. Kalinowski’s Service Learning class learned how to create a successful, fun event that made a difference in someone else’s life.
Update: The total amount raised from admissions, raffle tickets and the models was $4871.00!