Prom in Clermont Gets Assisted-living Residents, High-school Students Dancing
Posted: March 1 2009
Courtesy of: Orlando Sentinel
CLERMONT - The formal affair Thursday at Summerville at Oak Park, an assisted-living facility, brought new meaning to the words senior prom.
Brittney Wamback, 17, wore a lavender formal evening gown and carried a red carnation boutonniere as she strolled down one of Summerville's hallways, looking for her date's room number.
"I've never done this before," she said about pinning the boutonniere. "I hope I don't hurt him."
Finally, the East Ridge High School senior knocked on the door and greeted her date, 71-year-old Joe Armstrong.
"You ready?" she asked.
"Look at this," Armstrong said. "You're looking good, darling."
"Thank you," she said, while smiling and pinning the carnation on Armstrong's lapel without injury.
Their meeting marked the start of a pairing of students from East Ridge and Ocoee high schools and seniors from the assisted-living facility.
Terri Glimcher, activities director at Oak Park, said the senior prom came about through Bridging the Generations, a program she implemented four years ago to bring together seniors and students from local schools.
Brittney and Armstrong soon walked toward the lobby, which was converted into a dance floor for the evening.
More than 60 students and a few teachers from East Ridge and Ocoee decorated the space and dressed up for the senior prom that had a Chinese New Year theme.
Glimcher introduced the prom king, Martin Nazario, an East Ridge forensics teacher, and the queen, Cookie Lindine, 77. The prince was Ocoee senior Darius Jones, 18, and the princess, Frieda Hartfelder, 92.
"A lot of these folks never attended a senior prom," Glimcher said. "It was during the Depression. They only had ... shoes, food and necessities."
She told the crowd the dance took months of planning and encouraged the participants to have fun.
"You're not getting older," she said. "You're getting what?"
"Better!" the seniors replied.
For the next hour, students danced with their dates and others to the tunes of disc jockey Larry Ryder.
Referring to his princess, Jones said, "She's amazing. She's light on her feet, too. She's got me going in circles."
Ocoee senior Cody Griffith, 17, said he "lost count" of all his dance partners.
"At least 20," he said. "I love dancing. I told everyone, 'You owe me a dance.'"
Meanwhile, Josephine Quaterro, 96, found her way into the middle of several girls while they danced to the Village People's "YMCA." She held her arms up in the air along with her many partners.
Gordon Sevold, 82, attended in a wheelchair, but he danced by holding hands with Mary Victor, 77. Both swayed their arms back and forth.
"It's just like a real prom," Victor said. "The kids are great. My date has been a perfect gentleman all night."
Capturing the moment
Between dances, couples walked down to get their pictures taken by professional photographer Orlando Rivera.
One older man sat for a photograph with his date, who wore a red sequined dress.
"I know that dress is beautiful," Rivera told the man. "But you [have] got to look at me."
Mary MacKeever, 88, had two dates: Melany Leon, 17, and Lauren Ringland, 18, both seniors at East Ridge. Katherine Gonzalez, a 17-year-old senior at East Ridge, said she was stealing Mac- Keever for herself.
Katherine said she met MacKeever several months ago after she had come to the facility to give manicures.
"We clicked the first day we met," she said. "I'm very attached to her."
MacKeever ended up with two photos - one with her dates and one with Katherine.
All 62 residents who attended will get a photograph.
'Their eyes just lit up'
Throughout the night, the residents and their dates munched on a Chinese hors d'oeuvres, including chicken wings, egg rolls, teriyaki beef, sweet-and-sour chicken, coconut shrimp and fortune and almond cookies.
The dessert room was lined with cakes and cookies.
Local merchants donated the food and flowers.
Glimcher said the senior prom has been planned since November.
She and Wendy Cartwright, a leadership teacher and Student Government Association adviser at Ocoee High, came up with the idea.
Cartwright said this year's Student Government Association state project is to do something with seniors. So, when she heard about Bridging the Generations from a colleague, she contacted Glimcher.
When Glimcher took the idea back to the residents council, they were all for it, she said.
"They said that they had never gotten to go to the prom and that it was a big part of growing up that they missed," she said.
Students made decorations and created large signs with Chinese characters meaning love, hope and peace, Cartwright said.
Glimcher decided to bring East Ridge High students into the mix because her residents visit the adult day-care on campus weekly as part of Bridging the Generations.
The East Ridge students decorated the dessert room with signs and streamers, said Michelle Park, health science/CNA instructor at East Ridge.
"Their eyes just lit up when they found out they were going to be involved in this wonderful event," Park said. "The whole philosophy of Bridging the Generations is enlightening to both students and seniors."
Primping for the evening
Summerville's residents spent the day getting ready.
Hartfelder, the prom princess, primped by getting her hair done by Ann Kerdock, a beautician who comes in twice weekly. Kerdock said she did 16 or 17 stylings Thursday.
"I'm proud to be part of it," she said. "It's so rewarding. They're having a ball."
Joyce Curtis, Hartfelder's daughter, said she helped her mother try on a couple of dresses before deciding on the perfect one and a pair of shoes that matched.
"She's all dolled up," said Curtis, 67. "My mother, at 92, is very excited."
Before her date showed up, Hartfelder said she already knew who her escort would be. She found out the previous day.
"He's a good-looking young man," she said. "He's very polite."
'I had a real nice time'
As the evening ended, Ryder, the disc jockey, said he couldn't believe the number of people attending the senior prom.
"This is the biggest crowd I've seen," he said. "I can't believe it - high school kids and 90-year-old people together. I'm glad to see the young people out like that."
When the dancing was over, Armstrong walked back to his room, limping a bit. "Oh, man," he said.
"Tired?" asked Brittney, his date.
"Are you?" he countered.
Armstrong fished his keys from his pocket and opened the door.
"You have a good night," she said.
See ya, dear," he said. "I had a real nice time."
"Me too," she said, before the two seniors shared a goodnight hug.
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