The Oshkosh West Index - Prom goers defy age

Volume 103, Issue 8

Online Features

Prom goers defy age

By Joy Crane
posted 11:25:58 AM CST, May 24, 2007

When most people reminisce about prom, they think of the jocund jamboree that defined high school. But as O’Neil National Honor Society and the Senior Center Annex proved on May 18, the frolicsome bash doesn’t have an age limit. The young and the old mingled to the sounds of jazz and the footsteps of the fox trot at the Senior Citizen Prom.

“Some nice man came up to me and taught me how to waltz,” said junior Kim Powell. “He was really patient; I wasn’t very good.”

The vitality of the event can be largely accredited to Ginny Reis, founder of the Oshkosh Senior Citizen Prom.

“Thirteen years ago, my granddaughter was the president of the O’Neil Honor Society,” said Reis. “She said to me ‘Nana, I think we should have a Senior Prom like the one in Milwaukee.’ I said ‘If you make the punch, I’ll make the cookies,’ and voila, we had our first Senior Prom.”

The petite, yet powerful woman had organized the entire gala, but O’Neil members also played a huge hand in the smooth running of the event, from decorating and food preparation to cleanup.

“[O’Neil] put up the decorations, took them down, provided the food, and, best of all, danced with the elderly,” said junior Sam Smith.

The event also gave an opportunity to next year’s leaders of O’Neil to have a taste of the influence they will have in the 2007-’08 school year.

“The new officers did most of the work in organizing this event,” stated O’Neil president Kari Kopf.

Everyone was appreciative of each other’s company and anxious to intermingle.

“The young people do an excellent job, that’s why we keep coming back,” attendee Ken Beier said.

Students also attended purely for the merriment.

“I’m not even in O’Neil,” said senior Anna Berendsen, “but I came because I enjoy dancing to this as opposed to the normal bump and grind. I also have a soft spot for the elderly”

By continuing this tradition, O’Neil members take a step back from their own world and partake in an event that brightens the lives of the elderly, as well as their own.

“The mingling of the young and old is so precious,” Reis said. “Every year the kids just get cuter and cuter.”

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photo by Kailey Lemon

Senior Jennifer Mann learns a new dance at the 13th annual Senior Citizen Prom. O’Neil members took part in this yearly tradition on May 18.

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