| |
How to Plan a Safe All Night
Post Prom Party
Develop a Theme
Tie all of your decorations and activities into your
theme. Make sure you have activities planned for every
minute. Just when you think everyone is tired and/or
getting bored, get everyone moving again with a limbo
contest or a game of giant Twister.
Make it Special
Remember that you are competing with what some kids
consider a night of drinking without a chaperone. To
convince teens to come, you have to offer activities
that they won't find elsewhere.
Plan the Event
Check out different locations to hold your event. Try a
local health club where you can use the pool, tennis
courts and other facilities. You can also lavishly
decorate your school to match your theme. Plan the event
well in advance -- planning and preparation take time.
Plan Something for Everyone
Plan a large range of activities so that there will be
something for everyone -- for example, sports
activities, karaoke, group games such as a limbo
contest, Twister, board games, movies, etc.
Share Your Concerns
Make the evening fun and exciting but don't forget to
mention why an alcohol and drug-free party is important.
Plan a Parents' Night
Invite the parents to come in before the event. Explain
the reasons for having an all-night alcohol-and
drug-free party and discuss the facts and dangers of
alcohol, ecstasy and other drugs. Consider inviting your
police chief and a local lawyer to explain the laws and
liability surrounding underage drinking.
Involve the Community
This event provides an opportunity to build strong
community support and raise everyone's awareness
concerning high risk issues for young people. You can
invite your community to partner in this project by
donating time, food, money, space, or whatever else you
need.
Create a Strong Conclusion
Plan a special event for the end of the evening that
everyone can enjoy and remember. A great idea for this
is a slide show of photos from the past to the present
or a "senior video." Students, faculty, and parents can
work together on this event.
Remember to Say Thank You
Make it a point to say thank you to everyone who helped
to make the evening a success. A thank you breakfast or
coffee afterward is nice. A thank you ad in your local
newspaper is also a good way to show your appreciation.
One of the most important aspects of having a successful
"All-Nighter" (besides the food) is the activity. You
need to have lots of different activities. While "Shop 'Til
You Drop" is apropos of spending the day at the mall,
"Play 'Til You Plop" is the name of the game at the
All-Night Bash.
An All-Night Bash can be as successful in your own high
school as in a health club or other facility if you make
the decorations outrageous and the activities fun and
exciting. Tie the activities into your theme: for
instance, if your theme is a jungle theme, instead of
just bowling, call it coconut bowling.
Plan activities for the entire evening. If there is a
lag time between activities,
some students may get bored.
Try some of these zany ideas for adding fun and
silliness to your "All-Nighter."
• Pin the Tail on the Elephant -- or whatever fits your
theme. It could be a star on the Empire State Building.
• Tattoo Parlor -- Invite someone from your community or
local art school to paint small, temporary tattoos on
students using washable body paints, or purchase
commercially available.
• Find the Jelly Bean -- Place two jelly beans inside a
pie tin and cover them with at least two inches of
whipped cream. Prepare one pie tin for each contestant.
Place goggles on each contestant. At the whistle, each
student tries to find the jelly beans without using
his/her hands. Allow two cans of whipped cream per pie
tin. Do not dispense the whipped cream until immediately
before the event or it will melt.
• Instant Photos -- These photos on key chains or just
as candid shots are great souvenirs. Large cardboard or
foam-core cutouts, theme props or "stick your head
through the hole" props are lots of fun. If your theme
is Egyptian, how about a large pyramid or a giant mummy
as a backdrop for pictures?
• Graffiti Wall - Cover a large area with paper (a large
window shade also works well). Students can write or
draw messages with markers. It can be given to the class
to be brought out for class reunions.
• Name the Legs Contest - Blow up pictures of students'
legs from different activities or take pictures to post
on a board. Have the students guess whose legs they are.
You could give them a list for them to work from (you
could also use movie stars' legs).
• Game Show - Use your imagination in adapting a current
TV show for students to play, e.g. "Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire," "Survivor," or "Hollywood Squares." Make
sure you find a dynamic emcee (volunteer) to host this
activity. With the right volunteer, it can be a smash
hit.
• Teacher Bingo Contest - Ask nine or twelve teachers or
administrators if you can use their baby pictures for
this activity. Post the photos on a board. Give students
a list of names to match up with the pictures. This is a
fun activity and the students love to see their teachers
and administrators as their former selves. Don't forget
to post the correct names with the correct pictures at
the end of the contest so everyone can see who's whom.
• Senior Slide Show - Have some members of the class
prepare a slide show of your class year or years
together by taking slides of old photos and yearbook
photos and school activities.Invite seniors and parents
to bring in favorite old photos from students' younger
days, dance recitals, and old team or class pictures.
Halloween photos are great and they bring back wonderful
memories. Try to make sure that every senior is included
in the slide show. A tape of music coordinated with the
pictures will make the show complete. Make the slide
show the grand finale -- it can be a real tear-jerker!
The slide show can also be put on a video and even on a
CD that the class or after prom committee can sell.
• Frisbee Throw - Hang an inflatable pool tube or hula
hoop from the ceiling and have students try to throw a
Frisbee through it at a target or just through the hoop.
Give three chances, and don't forget to award prizes.
• Nail Art - Ask local nail artists to donate some time
at your event to paint designs and fun colors on nails
-- moons, stars, graduation caps, roses, hearts and
rainbows are just a few ideas.
• Caricatures and Silhouettes - Invite talented
community members or art students to attend and do
caricatures or silhouettes of the partygoers.
• Prophecy/Predictions -- This is a variation of the
time capsule. Students fill out a prediction of what
they will be in ten years -- discovered by Hollywood,
rock star, married, doctor, lawyer,etc. These are great
fun when read at the tenth year reunion.
Make sure you find a safe place for these and any other
items, such as the slide show, that are going to be used
at a later time.
• Lucky Monkey Search - Make lots of identical monkeys
(or whatever fits your theme) and one that is different.
Hang them all up and have the students search for the
"lucky/ different" one. The winner receives a prize.
These are just a few of the activities that you can plan
for your alcohol- and drug-free party. There are many
more that you can create. Don't forget entertainment --
a DJ, karaoke, a hypnotist, or a comedian can also be
fun.
|
 |
|
|
