Prom preparations 2022
Proms are held to celebrate the end of the last year of school. They are a major event in the social calendar of every teenager and it’s no different at Treloar’s – students and staff couldn’t wait for proms this year, especially after not being able to organise and attend them for two years due to COVID restrictions.
Flossie Bennett, tutor at Treloar, said: “I cannot express how much fun and pleasure I get from seeing all the students have so much fun and a cracking good time!
“Other than the COVID two years, the College has always had a prom; I took over organising proms from another staff member about 15 years ago. I like to have a prom committee of students who all have a role to play, depending on how much they want to get involved or are able to do. For me, it is their prom so they should make the choices of food, colours etc.
“This year, I had two students who wanted to be part of the committee, Joe and Ben (they also sorted a playlist of songs from the students) and sorted all the music and manned the decks all evening.”
Apart from the food, there are other things that have to be taken into account. Flossie adds: “There is an awful lot of meetings, planning, students choosing different options and on my part a lot of running around buying and collecting various things that we need. This year things were slightly different and they had a buffet type supper which most enjoyed, but traditionally they like a black tie type of evening.
“The format for the College Prom was Fizz and Pimm’s on the Piazza, with photo opportunities. Then the disco and party where Prom King and Queen were announced as well as other awards for students – all this chosen by votes from all the students, then it’s fair as I wouldn’t want to make that decision as they all look absolutely beautiful.
“It really is the highlight of the year for the students; it is a lot of hard work and planning but so worth it when you see how much they love it!”
Julie Bodnar, Deputy Head of Residential Services, and Libby Laney, Team Leader for Gloucester House, began School Prom preparations by looking at a date, taking into account the school diary of exams and other events.
Julie said: “We had a student meeting and they had some varied ideas of what food they would like. We then met with catering and went through the list. They gave us a few ideas around the choices but were able to accommodate the students requests.
“We also had to think about entertainment and music. Libby met with one of our students who is a keen DJ. With staff support he was going to gather the students requests and arrange a playlist for the disco. We thought about the decorations and ordered a balloon arch, paper lanterns for the ceiling, table decorations, candles and flowers all in the theme of lilac and purple. We then did some internet research and ordered prom King and Queen crown and sashes and prizes for the best dressed students, funniest student and happiest student. The prizes were wrapped accordingly.
“We designed and printed menus, table numbers, a table plan and tickets, all in the theme of purple. We then included an invitation to the teachers of the attending students and the CEO, Principal and Head of Residential and School for them to attend the drinks ceremony. We designed and printed voting papers for the evening so that the students could vote for the awards.
“As the time drew near, we had to go through every students eating and drinking profile to see what their dietary needs were. This was then sent to catering so they could adapt the different foods needed.”
Julie continued: “We met with catering to discuss the Mocktails reception and plans for the hall. We gave them the table plans and spoke about the decoration of the tables and agreed a time to meet before the day. In the week before the Prom we checked that all students had outfits to wear and asked the staff supporting to dress up for the occasion. A few days before the prom, we organised and met with the caretaker so that he could hang the paper lanterns in the FT hall across the room. On the day of the prom, the staff allocated helped the students to get ready, do hair and make-up.
“We had to organise the correct equipment for each student, including having a copy of their eating and drinking profile for the tables. Libby and I met with catering in the hall to set the tables up. We also met with the balloon company and the musicians that we had booked. It took several hours for everything to be set up but the final result was stunning and we were very pleased with our efforts.”
At Treloar’s, it takes a lot of preparation to organise an event like prom. On a daily basis, the catering team works closely with our team of dietitians to provide a range of menus to meet the needs of every student. It’s the same for any events hosted at Treloar’s: the dietitians support students with their nutrition needs and the catering team prepares food in line with the guidelines. Each student has their own eating and drinking profile to ensure they can be supported with the right level of care at mealtimes. Our catering team provide meals for over 11 different dietary requirements. Staff support students with oral feeding, special menus, oral nutrition supplements, tube feed regimens and blended diets (where appropriate). Each of our residential houses has a named dietitian, with one lead dietitian which means that during an event like prom, all the food has to be carefully planned taking into account all those different requirements.