Go U.S.A.! Red, White, and Blue Event Rally Ideas

Maybe a soldier is coming home. Maybe a soldier is leaving for war. Maybe the community just wants to celebrate America. Whatever the reason, there are lots of patriotic ways to show your red, white and blue with pride in a rally for the U.S.A..

The Outside
Wherever the event is, don’t neglect the outside. First impressions are everything. Get your guests pumped before they even enter the door with flags on staffs. They come in a package of 12, so buy a few packages and line the walkways with them. If that’s not enough, get an entire Patriotic Decorating Kit!

The Entrance
If the goal is to show American spirit, go all out with a Patriotic Balloon Arch. It’s decorated with latex and mylar balloons in red, white, blue and silver. For something more simple, stand two Patriotic Columns at the entrance that read, “God Bless America.”

Music
Nothing gets people more pumped up for their country than some patriotic music. Consider playing songs like “America the Beautiful,” “God Bless the USA,” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic” as people settle in for the rally. Naturally, you’ll want to kick the rally off with “The Star Spangled Banner.” Live music is best or at least someone local who will sing it.

The Stage
Someone has to lead the rally from behind a podium or microphone. Make sure the setting is dazzled in red, white, and blue decorations. Consider patriotic streamers, balloons, and hang some patriotic danglers from the ceiling.

The Activities
Have some speakers lined up for the rally. Choose the most energetic and motivating people you know to get the crowd excited about the event. It would be a great idea to have a veteran speak about his or her experiences in military and how important patriotism is to them.

If you’ll be serving snacks, do it on red, white, and/or blue tableware. Keep things light with snacks like pretzels, chips, and cookies. Fruit punch and water are best for drinks.

As long as your rally honors the U.S.A. and gets people pumped about supporting their country, your rally is successful. Some may find the music and speakers moving, and others might get misty-eyed at the vision of so many red, white and blue decorations.

Show you support the U.S.A. and hold a rally to honor the country you love!

Spirit Supplies for Olympic Cheers

As you, your family, and your friends prepare to watch the 2012 Summer Olympics, stock up on supplies so you can sit back, relax, enjoy the Games, and cheer for Team USA!  Look for spirit supplies, like pom-poms and beads.  Wherever you plan to enjoy the Games, your party space will need decorations, too, that can double as a backdrop for those spirited cheers.

Background Decorations

Look for patriotic paper to hang on your walls as a backdrop.  A personalized banner will also add a nice touch to your decorations; you could personalize it to say “Go Team USA!” and re-use it!  Adding a few decorative columns and streamers will give your cheer wall some flair, too. Try looking for small red, white, and blue cardboard columns and then placing a different centerpiece on each one.

You could also look into hanging metallic stars with streamers draping down from them—it’s a great backdrop that you’ll be able to use for a number of occasions.  Finally, no party decorations are complete without balloons!  Look for some American-flag-shaped Mylar balloons and add red and blue latex to make fun balloon bundles to decorate the area in which you and your friends will be watching the Olympic Games.

Cheer Supplies for the Olympic Games

Americana leis are not only a great party favor, but they could also be a valuable asset as you and your friends come up with fun Olympic cheers.  Pom-poms are a classic cheer supply that you can never have enough of, especially while viewing the Summer Olympic Games.  Noisemakers and whistles will provide added spirit, but be mindful of any children watching the Games with you—they’ll have much more fun with whistles and noisemakers than anyone else in the room.

The types of cheers you and your friends come up with don’t matter quite as much as the reasoning behind the cheers or the enjoyment you and your friends get out of gathering together and making the cheers.  By putting up patriotic decorations and providing friends with fun favors, you’ll be sure to show your American spirit.  Support Team USA in the Summer Olympic Games with your friends, some cheer supplies, and a few spirited cheers!

Entice Alumni to Attend Your Homecoming Week

To college and high school students, homecoming means an important football game and a dance, with a few other activities throughout the week.  To alumni, homecoming means a walk down memory lane with a visit to their old school.  More often than not, alumni either forget about homecoming week (because they’re told too early and not reminded) or they simply don’t want to go.  Change that! This year, don’t just remind your alumni that homecoming week is approaching, make them want to attend at least one (if not each) event during the week.

Mail a Homecoming Week Event Outline

Once you make sure you have current addresses for your alumni, put together a flyer with a schedule of events that you have planned for your homecoming week.  If the events are not 100% set in stone when you put together the schedule, make sure you clearly label the schedule “tentative.”  Then, once your homecoming week is planned, send a finalized schedule of events for your alumni to use—maybe when everything is official and final, your elusive alumni will attend a few events during your homecoming week.

Go Digital with Your Homecoming Week Events

Because everything else is going digital, why don’t you create a digital schedule of events for your homecoming week?  All your students are on Facebook, Twitter, and other social network sites, so why not create an “event” on Facebook?  Invite your students and encourage them to invite any alumni they might know, whether siblings, parents, or older friends.  Create an album with a few wall photos—the school mascot, maybe a photo of the football team and a photo of the cheerleaders.  Update these photos, as well as the overall event page, at least once a week.   You can also post pictures of the decorations as you set them up for the events throughout the week.

Depending on the event you’re decorating for, you’ll want to look for banners, a variety of spirit supplies (such as megaphones, buttons, and pom-poms), homecoming dance background materials, and many other things.  You could hang banners at the entrances to your school to get your students pumped up for homecoming week.  You can also hand out small favors to all your students during your homecoming week—in this case, try candy-related favors.  Your students will thank you.  Other fun favors to hand out to your students during homecoming week are imprinted footballs and basketballs, though these would probably be better handed out at the end of the school day so your students aren’t too distracted.

The culmination of homecoming week is almost always a dance.  Why not invite your alumni?  Then they can feel like they’ve gone back to high school and they’ll be able to watch the crowning of the homecoming court and experience all of it.  There are many ways to entice your alumni to attend at least one event during your homecoming week, you just have to choose which ways you want to use.

Entice Alumni to Attend Your Homecoming Week

To college and high school students, homecoming means an important football game and a dance, with a few other activities throughout the week.  To alumni, homecoming means a walk down memory lane with a visit to their old school.  More often than not, alumni either forget about homecoming week (because they’re told too early and not reminded) or they simply don’t want to go.  Change that! This year, don’t just remind your alumni that homecoming week is approaching, make them want to attend at least one (if not each) event during the week.

Mail a Homecoming Week Event Outline

Once you make sure you have current addresses for your alumni, put together a flyer with a schedule of events that you have planned for your homecoming week.  If the events are not 100% set in stone when you put together the schedule, make sure you clearly label the schedule “tentative.”  Then, once your homecoming week is planned, send a finalized schedule of events for your alumni to use—maybe when everything is official and final, your elusive alumni will attend a few events during your homecoming week.

Go Digital with Your Homecoming Week Events

Because everything else is going digital, why don’t you create a digital schedule of events for your homecoming week?  All your students are on Facebook, Twitter, and other social network sites, so why not create an “event” on Facebook?  Invite your students and encourage them to invite any alumni they might know, whether siblings, parents, or older friends.  Create an album with a few wall photos—the school mascot, maybe a photo of the football team and a photo of the cheerleaders.  Update these photos, as well as the overall event page, at least once a week.   You can also post pictures of the decorations as you set them up for the events throughout the week.

Depending on the event you’re decorating for, you’ll want to look for banners, a variety of spirit supplies (such as megaphones, buttons, and pom-poms), homecoming dance background materials, and many other things.  You could hang banners at the entrances to your school to get your students pumped up for homecoming week.  You can also hand out small favors to all your students during your homecoming week—in this case, try candy-related favors.  Your students will thank you.  Other fun favors to hand out to your students during homecoming week are imprinted footballs and basketballs, though these would probably be better handed out at the end of the school day so your students aren’t too distracted.

The culmination of homecoming week is almost always a dance.  Why not invite your alumni?  Then they can feel like they’ve gone back to high school and they’ll be able to watch the crowning of the homecoming court and experience all of it.  There are many ways to entice your alumni to attend at least one event during your homecoming week, you just have to choose which ways you want to use.

Ideas for the Presentation of Snacks

Often prom-goers are too busy dancing and socializing to eat the dinner provided or they burn it off dancing.  Providing snacks at after-prom parties is a great way to give energy and keep people awake.  Continue the prom theme by using plastic table covers and skirting in the prom colors.   Then choose your napkins, plates, and plastic ware in a contrasting color.

Serving beverages is easy when you have a crystal cut punch bowl, a pitcher for water, or a tub for sodas.  Provide clear plastic cups, but make sure that people can identify their glass by using Etch-It tags!  There’s no need for pens; just mark on it with your finger!

Offer mini sub sandwiches, veggies, or fruits on a crystal cut tray.  Don’t forget the tongs or serving spoon and fork! Small sandwiches and finger foods allow people to grab a bite or two while they are still dancing, playing games, and socializing.

An imprinted stadium cup can be used for a variety of things.  Fill them with mini candy bars, nuts, or jellybeans. Make the candy bars even more special by having personalized wrappers.   Who doesn’t love sweets?  A sweet table with lollipops and mints (in a keepsake tin) will please everyone.

Late at night when people are getting sleepy is a good time to bring out some coffee or hot chocolate.  Serve it in a black café mug that you can have imprinted with your own design!

Be creative with what foods you serve and how you serve them.  Make your after-prom party a night to remember!

Ideas for the Presentation of Snacks

Often prom-goers are too busy dancing and socializing to eat the dinner provided or they burn it off dancing.  Providing snacks at after-prom parties is a great way to give energy and keep people awake.  Continue the prom theme by using plastic table covers and skirting in the prom colors.   Then choose your napkins, plates, and plastic ware in a contrasting color.

Serving beverages is easy when you have a crystal cut punch bowl, a pitcher for water, or a tub for sodas.  Provide clear plastic cups, but make sure that people can identify their glass by using Etch-It tags!  There’s no need for pens; just mark on it with your finger!

Offer mini sub sandwiches, veggies, or fruits on a crystal cut tray.  Don’t forget the tongs or serving spoon and fork! Small sandwiches and finger foods allow people to grab a bite or two while they are still dancing, playing games, and socializing.

An imprinted stadium cup can be used for a variety of things.  Fill them with mini candy bars, nuts, or jellybeans. Make the candy bars even more special by having personalized wrappers.   Who doesn’t love sweets?  A sweet table with lollipops and mints (in a keepsake tin) will please everyone.

Late at night when people are getting sleepy is a good time to bring out some coffee or hot chocolate.  Serve it in a black café mug that you can have imprinted with your own design!

Be creative with what foods you serve and how you serve them.  Make your after-prom party a night to remember!

Ideas for the Presentation of Snacks

Often prom-goers are too busy dancing and socializing to eat the dinner provided or they burn it off dancing.  Providing snacks at after-prom parties is a great way to give energy and keep people awake.  Continue the prom theme by using plastic table covers and skirting in the prom colors.   Then choose your napkins, plates, and plastic ware in a contrasting color.

Serving beverages is easy when you have a crystal cut punch bowl, a pitcher for water, or a tub for sodas.  Provide clear plastic cups, but make sure that people can identify their glass by using Etch-It tags!  There’s no need for pens; just mark on it with your finger!

Offer mini sub sandwiches, veggies, or fruits on a crystal cut tray.  Don’t forget the tongs or serving spoon and fork! Small sandwiches and finger foods allow people to grab a bite or two while they are still dancing, playing games, and socializing.

An imprinted stadium cup can be used for a variety of things.  Fill them with mini candy bars, nuts, or jellybeans. Make the candy bars even more special by having personalized wrappers.   Who doesn’t love sweets?  A sweet table with lollipops and mints (in a keepsake tin) will please everyone.

Late at night when people are getting sleepy is a good time to bring out some coffee or hot chocolate.  Serve it in a black café mug that you can have imprinted with your own design!

Be creative with what foods you serve and how you serve them.  Make your after-prom party a night to remember!

Summer Camp Fundraisers for Kids

It’s summertime, and that means camp for thousands of kids all across the country!  This exciting time means new adventures, new friends, and new experiences.   Stumps Spirit Lines can help create the charged atmosphere for your camp experience that leaves the kids wanting to return again next year!

Pennants can not only attract attention, but choosing different colors can help kids know where their cabin or their group is meeting. Drape them near meeting places or use them to help guide kids along a path.

A personalized sticker or photo button can sort the kids into their teams, leading to quick and easy identification.  The button can be worn by the kids or placed on hats, backpacks, and more.

Get all excited during camp contests or carnivals and show your support for your team by using face paint.  These paints wash off easily and come in a multitude of colors.  Paint a paw print, a butterfly, a stripe, or your entire face!

Every kid gets hot and sweaty during summer camp, and a small personalized towel is the way to take care of that and also makes a great souvenir.  Choose from team towels or sport towels in the camp colors.  Every time they use the towel they will be promoting your camp.

And of course no camp is complete without noisemakers!  Buy spirit clappers or imprinted spirit stix personalized with the camp name to distract the opposing team and to remind each participant of the fun they had at camp.

Summer Camp Fundraisers for Kids

It’s summertime, and that means camp for thousands of kids all across the country!  This exciting time means new adventures, new friends, and new experiences.   Stumps Spirit Lines can help create the charged atmosphere for your camp experience that leaves the kids wanting to return again next year!

Pennants can not only attract attention, but choosing different colors can help kids know where their cabin or their group is meeting. Drape them near meeting places or use them to help guide kids along a path.

A personalized sticker or photo button can sort the kids into their teams, leading to quick and easy identification.  The button can be worn by the kids or placed on hats, backpacks, and more.

Get all excited during camp contests or carnivals and show your support for your team by using face paint.  These paints wash off easily and come in a multitude of colors.  Paint a paw print, a butterfly, a stripe, or your entire face!

Every kid gets hot and sweaty during summer camp, and a small personalized towel is the way to take care of that and also makes a great souvenir.  Choose from team towels or sport towels in the camp colors.  Every time they use the towel they will be promoting your camp.

And of course no camp is complete without noisemakers!  Buy spirit clappers or imprinted spirit stix personalized with the camp name to distract the opposing team and to remind each participant of the fun they had at camp.

Over-the-Top Graduation Celebration Tips

Your graduate has reached a major milestone and now it’s time to celebrate!  It’s easy to design a party that will wow everyone and let that graduate know how proud you are of their accomplishments.  

Let your guests know about the event by sending custom graduation invitations.  Choose the colors and font, insert a picture and have the best invitation around.

As people arrive to your party, personalized yard signs will help direct them where to go and will announce that they have arrived in the right place.  A personalized door decoration will direct people inside to the party.

Be sure to hang a large multi-photo banner near the entrance. This vinyl banner will show pictures of several special moments in your grad’s life and let the guests share in those moments.   Other banners congratulating your graduate can be hung elsewhere.

This will be a busy day for your graduate.  A life-sized standee can help greet the guests!   Fill the party location with graduation balloons, while adding a little shimmer by using liquid metallic fabric to decorate for this special event.  Choose a solid color table cover in a school color, and then choose either a matching table skirt or one in a contrasting school color. Sprinkle black confetti on the table, especially around the graduation centerpiece.

Send your guests home in style with an imprinted favor sack filled with graduation related candies like graduation candy bars and lollipops, and beads in the school colors.

After this amazing day has come and gone, make sure that your grad has a memento of the occasion. A signature graduation cap is a wonderful way to have guests record that they were a part of this day.

Over-the-Top Graduation Celebration Tips

Your graduate has reached a major milestone and now it’s time to celebrate!  It’s easy to design a party that will wow everyone and let that graduate know how proud you are of their accomplishments.  

Let your guests know about the event by sending custom graduation invitations.  Choose the colors and font, insert a picture and have the best invitation around.

As people arrive to your party, personalized yard signs will help direct them where to go and will announce that they have arrived in the right place.  A personalized door decoration will direct people inside to the party.

Be sure to hang a large multi-photo banner near the entrance. This vinyl banner will show pictures of several special moments in your grad’s life and let the guests share in those moments.   Other banners congratulating your graduate can be hung elsewhere.

This will be a busy day for your graduate.  A life-sized standee can help greet the guests!   Fill the party location with graduation balloons, while adding a little shimmer by using liquid metallic fabric to decorate for this special event.  Choose a solid color table cover in a school color, and then choose either a matching table skirt or one in a contrasting school color. Sprinkle black confetti on the table, especially around the graduation centerpiece.

Send your guests home in style with an imprinted favor sack filled with graduation related candies like graduation candy bars and lollipops, and beads in the school colors.

After this amazing day has come and gone, make sure that your grad has a memento of the occasion. A signature graduation cap is a wonderful way to have guests record that they were a part of this day.

Summer Camp Fundraisers for Kids

It’s summertime, and that means camp for thousands of kids all across the country!  This exciting time means new adventures, new friends, and new experiences.   Stumps Spirit Lines can help create the charged atmosphere for your camp experience that leaves the kids wanting to return again next year!

Pennants can not only attract attention, but choosing different colors can help kids know where their cabin or their group is meeting. Drape them near meeting places or use them to help guide kids along a path.

A personalized sticker or photo button can sort the kids into their teams, leading to quick and easy identification.  The button can be worn by the kids or placed on hats, backpacks, and more.

Get all excited during camp contests or carnivals and show your support for your team by using face paint.  These paints wash off easily and come in a multitude of colors.  Paint a paw print, a butterfly, a stripe, or your entire face!

Every kid gets hot and sweaty during summer camp, and a small personalized towel is the way to take care of that and also makes a great souvenir.  Choose from team towels or sport towels in the camp colors.  Every time they use the towel they will be promoting your camp.

And of course no camp is complete without noisemakers!  Buy spirit clappers or imprinted spirit stix personalized with the camp name to distract the opposing team and to remind each participant of the fun they had at camp.

Over-the-Top Graduation Celebration Tips

Your graduate has reached a major milestone and now it’s time to celebrate!  It’s easy to design a party that will wow everyone and let that graduate know how proud you are of their accomplishments.  

Let your guests know about the event by sending custom graduation invitations.  Choose the colors and font, insert a picture and have the best invitation around.

As people arrive to your party, personalized yard signs will help direct them where to go and will announce that they have arrived in the right place.  A personalized door decoration will direct people inside to the party.

Be sure to hang a large multi-photo banner near the entrance. This vinyl banner will show pictures of several special moments in your grad’s life and let the guests share in those moments.   Other banners congratulating your graduate can be hung elsewhere.

This will be a busy day for your graduate.  A life-sized standee can help greet the guests!   Fill the party location with graduation balloons, while adding a little shimmer by using liquid metallic fabric to decorate for this special event.  Choose a solid color table cover in a school color, and then choose either a matching table skirt or one in a contrasting school color. Sprinkle black confetti on the table, especially around the graduation centerpiece.

Send your guests home in style with an imprinted favor sack filled with graduation related candies like graduation candy bars and lollipops, and beads in the school colors.

After this amazing day has come and gone, make sure that your grad has a memento of the occasion. A signature graduation cap is a wonderful way to have guests record that they were a part of this day.

Roll Out the Fun with a Casino-Themed Prom!

Roll out the fun with a casino themed prom!  Your location can be transformed into a classy high stakes casino with the right decorations.  Place a roulette arch or a slot machine walkthrough at the entrance to set the mood.

Casino-Themed Decorations

Make over the room by using decorations like the giant playing cards or the casino cutout assortment of cardboard cutouts.   The walls can be draped with casino gossamer to quickly and easily create ambience.   Casino ceiling danglers can hang from the ceiling, and Mylar balloons in a heart, spade, or playing card shape help continue the theme.

The prom court can be introduced and should walk along the roulette walkway mural. This easy-to-assemble walkway allows the court to be seen and to wave to the crowd.  Create your own sash to allow people to easily recognize the courtiers.

Casino Tables Set the Mood

 Your tables will be winners with a foam dice or high roller centerpiece.  Scatter some dice confetti around the base of the centerpiece to make a bigger splash. Metallic table skirting in your choice of colors continues the glitzy theme and adds class to the tables.

And everyone looks forward to the prom favors.  Remind people of the theme by providing a glitter frame for that special prom photo.   Other favors like a key tag or personalized roulette table playing cards can be placed at the table.

With a casino theme your prom will hit the jackpot!!

Roll Out the Fun with a Casino-Themed Prom!

Roll out the fun with a casino themed prom!  Your location can be transformed into a classy high stakes casino with the right decorations.  Place a roulette arch or a slot machine walkthrough at the entrance to set the mood.

Casino-Themed Decorations

Make over the room by using decorations like the giant playing cards or the casino cutout assortment of cardboard cutouts.   The walls can be draped with casino gossamer to quickly and easily create ambience.   Casino ceiling danglers can hang from the ceiling, and Mylar balloons in a heart, spade, or playing card shape help continue the theme.

The prom court can be introduced and should walk along the roulette walkway mural. This easy-to-assemble walkway allows the court to be seen and to wave to the crowd.  Create your own sash to allow people to easily recognize the courtiers.

Casino Tables Set the Mood

 Your tables will be winners with a foam dice or high roller centerpiece.  Scatter some dice confetti around the base of the centerpiece to make a bigger splash. Metallic table skirting in your choice of colors continues the glitzy theme and adds class to the tables.

And everyone looks forward to the prom favors.  Remind people of the theme by providing a glitter frame for that special prom photo.   Other favors like a key tag or personalized roulette table playing cards can be placed at the table.

With a casino theme your prom will hit the jackpot!!

Roll Out the Fun with a Casino-Themed Prom!

Roll out the fun with a casino themed prom!  Your location can be transformed into a classy high stakes casino with the right decorations.  Place a roulette arch or a slot machine walkthrough at the entrance to set the mood.

Casino-Themed Decorations

Make over the room by using decorations like the giant playing cards or the casino cutout assortment of cardboard cutouts.   The walls can be draped with casino gossamer to quickly and easily create ambience.   Casino ceiling danglers can hang from the ceiling, and Mylar balloons in a heart, spade, or playing card shape help continue the theme.

The prom court can be introduced and should walk along the roulette walkway mural. This easy-to-assemble walkway allows the court to be seen and to wave to the crowd.  Create your own sash to allow people to easily recognize the courtiers.

Casino Tables Set the Mood

 Your tables will be winners with a foam dice or high roller centerpiece.  Scatter some dice confetti around the base of the centerpiece to make a bigger splash. Metallic table skirting in your choice of colors continues the glitzy theme and adds class to the tables.

And everyone looks forward to the prom favors.  Remind people of the theme by providing a glitter frame for that special prom photo.   Other favors like a key tag or personalized roulette table playing cards can be placed at the table.

With a casino theme your prom will hit the jackpot!!

Why Students, Parents, and Schools Embrace Prom

We Invest In Lifetime Moments

With the sluggish economy and the cost of extra school activities on the rise, one would think that prom might suffer with a lack of participation and ticket sales.  Exactly why would teens (and more importantly, their parents) still be willing to accept the purportedly high price tag of this one-night event?  A survey of customers from Stumps Party, a national prom supplies and event supplies company, suggests that schools value prom traditions.

 Introduction to the Romanticism of Prom Begins at a Young Age

In today’s society, individuals become acclimated to the custom and tradition of prom and grand dances while still young.  From the moment a little girl sees Cinderella for the first time, she starts planning for the big ball.  Who doesn’t want to be a Disney princess for a day? Pop culture has kept that feeling alive for generations with films like Grease, Footloose, Pretty in Pink, Never Been Kissed and Twilight that remind us that prom was, and still is, a big deal.  By the time the real dance comes along, the anticipation of the event is at a crescendo-who can say no to that?

Planning for the Event Prompts a Sense of School Unity

Today’s proms aren’t thrown together at the last minute.  In many cases, planning begins as early as the beginning of the school year.  Faculty advisers organize student prom committees.  These committees spearhead tasks such as selecting prom themes, setting budgets and coming up with fundraising ideas.  Between planning the fundraisers, soliciting donations, and arranging groups of volunteers to pitch in with the activities, participating students learn skills such as effective communication and leadership, organization and delegation skills, and money management.  For the student body at large, those who lend a hand to these moneymaking efforts learn about teamwork and responsibility.

Kate Henderson, a prom adviser at Wendover High School, in Wendover, Utah says, “If our prom did not exist there would be a huge hole in our junior program.  They work concessions all year and clean the gym after all home games to raise enough money to afford a nice prom.  We also have an absentee and tardy policy that hinges on all extracurricular activities, which prom is part of.  If students have unexcused absences or tardies, they cannot attend prom. The students work very hard to be eligible to go.”  All in all, the planning and preparation of prom helps to promote a sense of accomplishment for all those involved.  These lessons alone may be well worth the time and money a school invests in prom.

Traditions are passed from one class to another.  In fact, the tradition of giving prom memory booklets to couples dates back to 1926, when Stumps first introduced these keepsake favors.  Trends may change (today swag bags are hot), but taking pictures at parents’ homes, crowning the king and queen, and decorating the dance remain.

Prom is Unlike Any Other School Dance Event

What sets prom apart from other dances and school events?  Prom’s role in American culture dates back to the debutante balls of the wealthy.  By 1894 middle-class parents wanted institutionalized settings to instill etiquette, so proms spread to elite colleges.  By the early 1900’s, proms were in high schools.  Since then, tens of millions of students have taken part in the prom tradition.  Today, most high schools only allow juniors and seniors to purchase tickets to the prom.  Students see prom as a privilege, a rite of passage, of having paid their dues.  It’s like a special induction into an exclusive club where they have now earned the right to attend this big night.  Dances take place in fully decorated, school gymnasiums, cafeterias, and banquet halls.  For many students, especially seniors, it is the last big occasion before graduation activities commence and so it represents a sort of end to adolescence.  Prom offers one last night to be together as a group, to sing and dance and celebrate collectively.

After Prom Activities Offer Safe Alternatives For Students

Many schools now offer an after-prom tradition that allows students the options of an all night, alcohol free event full of music, games and activities.  Students decorate these events in popular themes, just like they do with prom.  Today’s favorites include Paris, Mardi Gras, Under the Sea, Candy, Casino, or City prom themes.  Parents and teachers chaperone during the night.  Kayleigh Overmyer, a prom committee member and junior at Maumee High School says “After-prom is as popular, if not more so, than prom. It’s so much fun that we will sell as many tickets to that as we will to the actual prom, maybe a bit more!“  Deejays often play popular music at after-prom, too.

According to Mark Charvat, a prom deejay with over 31 years of experience at J & M Productions, this year’s popular musical artists include Usher and LMFAO.  Charvat explains, “Top slow songs are requested according to the prom’s theme.  For example, Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing is often requested at Hollywood theme proms because it was the leading song from the movie, Armageddon.” This year, Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On, the theme song from the movie, Titanic is a popular, prom song.

After prom events maintain a lock-in atmosphere in which students must remain inside the venue until the conclusion of the event and thus putting the fears of many parents to rest in regards to their safety after prom is over.

Prom Is A Finale Most Will Not Skip

When kids look to their years in high school, there are many milestones they will mark: their sweet 16, getting their driver’s license, graduation, and yes, prom.  Because the reality is, there isn’t any other event quite like prom, and there may not ever be.  It is steeped in nostalgia in a way that nothing else is.  It is the culmination of years of anticipation and whether it lives up to expectations or not, it will always be the apex of all high school dances, that by which all others are measured.  It marks the closing of a school year and often a school career, and it caps off an era of memories and experiences that can’t be replaced.  It still remains an event not to be missed.  Jacquie Downey, Director of Sales and Marketing for Stumps Party, adds, “Prom is a rite of passage and a memory that will last a life time.  Today’s teens will be telling their children about the fun they had at prom and so on.  Some experiences are just worth the investment.  Prom is one of those events.”

Why Students, Parents, and Schools Embrace Prom

We Invest In Lifetime Moments

With the sluggish economy and the cost of extra school activities on the rise, one would think that prom might suffer with a lack of participation and ticket sales.  Exactly why would teens (and more importantly, their parents) still be willing to accept the purportedly high price tag of this one-night event?  A survey of customers from Stumps Party, a national prom supplies and event supplies company, suggests that schools value prom traditions.

 Introduction to the Romanticism of Prom Begins at a Young Age

In today’s society, individuals become acclimated to the custom and tradition of prom and grand dances while still young.  From the moment a little girl sees Cinderella for the first time, she starts planning for the big ball.  Who doesn’t want to be a Disney princess for a day? Pop culture has kept that feeling alive for generations with films like Grease, Footloose, Pretty in Pink, Never Been Kissed and Twilight that remind us that prom was, and still is, a big deal.  By the time the real dance comes along, the anticipation of the event is at a crescendo-who can say no to that?

Planning for the Event Prompts a Sense of School Unity

Today’s proms aren’t thrown together at the last minute.  In many cases, planning begins as early as the beginning of the school year.  Faculty advisers organize student prom committees.  These committees spearhead tasks such as selecting prom themes, setting budgets and coming up with fundraising ideas.  Between planning the fundraisers, soliciting donations, and arranging groups of volunteers to pitch in with the activities, participating students learn skills such as effective communication and leadership, organization and delegation skills, and money management.  For the student body at large, those who lend a hand to these moneymaking efforts learn about teamwork and responsibility.

Kate Henderson, a prom adviser at Wendover High School, in Wendover, Utah says, “If our prom did not exist there would be a huge hole in our junior program.  They work concessions all year and clean the gym after all home games to raise enough money to afford a nice prom.  We also have an absentee and tardy policy that hinges on all extracurricular activities, which prom is part of.  If students have unexcused absences or tardies, they cannot attend prom. The students work very hard to be eligible to go.”  All in all, the planning and preparation of prom helps to promote a sense of accomplishment for all those involved.  These lessons alone may be well worth the time and money a school invests in prom.

Traditions are passed from one class to another.  In fact, the tradition of giving prom memory booklets to couples dates back to 1926, when Stumps first introduced these keepsake favors.  Trends may change (today swag bags are hot), but taking pictures at parents’ homes, crowning the king and queen, and decorating the dance remain.

Prom is Unlike Any Other School Dance Event

What sets prom apart from other dances and school events?  Prom’s role in American culture dates back to the debutante balls of the wealthy.  By 1894 middle-class parents wanted institutionalized settings to instill etiquette, so proms spread to elite colleges.  By the early 1900’s, proms were in high schools.  Since then, tens of millions of students have taken part in the prom tradition.  Today, most high schools only allow juniors and seniors to purchase tickets to the prom.  Students see prom as a privilege, a rite of passage, of having paid their dues.  It’s like a special induction into an exclusive club where they have now earned the right to attend this big night.  Dances take place in fully decorated, school gymnasiums, cafeterias, and banquet halls.  For many students, especially seniors, it is the last big occasion before graduation activities commence and so it represents a sort of end to adolescence.  Prom offers one last night to be together as a group, to sing and dance and celebrate collectively.

After Prom Activities Offer Safe Alternatives For Students

Many schools now offer an after-prom tradition that allows students the options of an all night, alcohol free event full of music, games and activities.  Students decorate these events in popular themes, just like they do with prom.  Today’s favorites include Paris, Mardi Gras, Under the Sea, Candy, Casino, or City prom themes.  Parents and teachers chaperone during the night.  Kayleigh Overmyer, a prom committee member and junior at Maumee High School says “After-prom is as popular, if not more so, than prom. It’s so much fun that we will sell as many tickets to that as we will to the actual prom, maybe a bit more!“  Deejays often play popular music at after-prom, too.

According to Mark Charvat, a prom deejay with over 31 years of experience at J & M Productions, this year’s popular musical artists include Usher and LMFAO.  Charvat explains, “Top slow songs are requested according to the prom’s theme.  For example, Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing is often requested at Hollywood theme proms because it was the leading song from the movie, Armageddon.” This year, Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On, the theme song from the movie, Titanic is a popular, prom song.

After prom events maintain a lock-in atmosphere in which students must remain inside the venue until the conclusion of the event and thus putting the fears of many parents to rest in regards to their safety after prom is over.

Prom Is A Finale Most Will Not Skip

When kids look to their years in high school, there are many milestones they will mark: their sweet 16, getting their driver’s license, graduation, and yes, prom.  Because the reality is, there isn’t any other event quite like prom, and there may not ever be.  It is steeped in nostalgia in a way that nothing else is.  It is the culmination of years of anticipation and whether it lives up to expectations or not, it will always be the apex of all high school dances, that by which all others are measured.  It marks the closing of a school year and often a school career, and it caps off an era of memories and experiences that can’t be replaced.  It still remains an event not to be missed.  Jacquie Downey, Director of Sales and Marketing for Stumps Party, adds, “Prom is a rite of passage and a memory that will last a life time.  Today’s teens will be telling their children about the fun they had at prom and so on.  Some experiences are just worth the investment.  Prom is one of those events.”

 

 

 

 

 

Why Students, Parents, and Schools Embrace Prom

We Invest In Lifetime Moments

With the sluggish economy and the cost of extra school activities on the rise, one would think that prom might suffer with a lack of participation and ticket sales.  Exactly why would teens (and more importantly, their parents) still be willing to accept the purportedly high price tag of this one-night event?  A survey of customers from Stumps Party, a national prom supplies and event supplies company, suggests that schools value prom traditions.

 Introduction to the Romanticism of Prom Begins at a Young Age

In today’s society, individuals become acclimated to the custom and tradition of prom and grand dances while still young.  From the moment a little girl sees Cinderella for the first time, she starts planning for the big ball.  Who doesn’t want to be a Disney princess for a day? Pop culture has kept that feeling alive for generations with films like Grease, Footloose, Pretty in Pink, Never Been Kissed and Twilight that remind us that prom was, and still is, a big deal.  By the time the real dance comes along, the anticipation of the event is at a crescendo-who can say no to that?

Planning for the Event Prompts a Sense of School Unity

Today’s proms aren’t thrown together at the last minute.  In many cases, planning begins as early as the beginning of the school year.  Faculty advisers organize student prom committees.  These committees spearhead tasks such as selecting prom themes, setting budgets and coming up with fundraising ideas.  Between planning the fundraisers, soliciting donations, and arranging groups of volunteers to pitch in with the activities, participating students learn skills such as effective communication and leadership, organization and delegation skills, and money management.  For the student body at large, those who lend a hand to these moneymaking efforts learn about teamwork and responsibility.

Kate Henderson, a prom adviser at Wendover High School, in Wendover, Utah says, “If our prom did not exist there would be a huge hole in our junior program.  They work concessions all year and clean the gym after all home games to raise enough money to afford a nice prom.  We also have an absentee and tardy policy that hinges on all extracurricular activities, which prom is part of.  If students have unexcused absences or tardies, they cannot attend prom. The students work very hard to be eligible to go.”  All in all, the planning and preparation of prom helps to promote a sense of accomplishment for all those involved.  These lessons alone may be well worth the time and money a school invests in prom.

Traditions are passed from one class to another.  In fact, the tradition of giving prom memory booklets to couples dates back to 1926, when Stumps first introduced these keepsake favors.  Trends may change (today swag bags are hot), but taking pictures at parents’ homes, crowning the king and queen, and decorating the dance remain.

Prom is Unlike Any Other School Dance Event

What sets prom apart from other dances and school events?  Prom’s role in American culture dates back to the debutante balls of the wealthy.  By 1894 middle-class parents wanted institutionalized settings to instill etiquette, so proms spread to elite colleges.  By the early 1900’s, proms were in high schools.  Since then, tens of millions of students have taken part in the prom tradition.  Today, most high schools only allow juniors and seniors to purchase tickets to the prom.  Students see prom as a privilege, a rite of passage, of having paid their dues.  It’s like a special induction into an exclusive club where they have now earned the right to attend this big night.  Dances take place in fully decorated, school gymnasiums, cafeterias, and banquet halls.  For many students, especially seniors, it is the last big occasion before graduation activities commence and so it represents a sort of end to adolescence.  Prom offers one last night to be together as a group, to sing and dance and celebrate collectively.

After Prom Activities Offer Safe Alternatives For Students

Many schools now offer an after-prom tradition that allows students the options of an all night, alcohol free event full of music, games and activities.  Students decorate these events in popular themes, just like they do with prom.  Today’s favorites include Paris, Mardi Gras, Under the Sea, Candy, Casino, or City prom themes.  Parents and teachers chaperone during the night.  Kayleigh Overmyer, a prom committee member and junior at Maumee High School says “After-prom is as popular, if not more so, than prom. It’s so much fun that we will sell as many tickets to that as we will to the actual prom, maybe a bit more!“  Deejays often play popular music at after-prom, too.

According to Mark Charvat, a prom deejay with over 31 years of experience at J & M Productions, this year’s popular musical artists include Usher and LMFAO.  Charvat explains, “Top slow songs are requested according to the prom’s theme.  For example, Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing is often requested at Hollywood theme proms because it was the leading song from the movie, Armageddon.” This year, Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On, the theme song from the movie, Titanic is a popular, prom song.

After prom events maintain a lock-in atmosphere in which students must remain inside the venue until the conclusion of the event and thus putting the fears of many parents to rest in regards to their safety after prom is over.

Prom Is A Finale Most Will Not Skip

When kids look to their years in high school, there are many milestones they will mark: their sweet 16, getting their driver’s license, graduation, and yes, prom.  Because the reality is, there isn’t any other event quite like prom, and there may not ever be.  It is steeped in nostalgia in a way that nothing else is.  It is the culmination of years of anticipation and whether it lives up to expectations or not, it will always be the apex of all high school dances, that by which all others are measured.  It marks the closing of a school year and often a school career, and it caps off an era of memories and experiences that can’t be replaced.  It still remains an event not to be missed.  Jacquie Downey, Director of Sales and Marketing for Stumps Party, adds, “Prom is a rite of passage and a memory that will last a life time.  Today’s teens will be telling their children about the fun they had at prom and so on.  Some experiences are just worth the investment.  Prom is one of those events.”

Swag Bags with Bling are Top Favors for Prom

“Giving an assortment of fun and memorable favors in the swag bag makes it easy to please your guests,” says Jacquie Downey, Director of Sales and Marketing at StumpsParty.com, a leading national event supplies and prom supplies company.

Here are just a few ideas to fill your swag bag.

Playful Bling for All

Including a cute party tiara, and beads with a picture frame lets the ladies have playful fun, and an elegant way to display their prom portrait. For the gentlemen out there, stuff their swag bag with fake mustaches, sunglasses, and their own set of beads to complete the couple. All these accessories are a fun way to lighten up the evening and make sure everyone has a good time.

Hollywood Swag

Everyone loves the movies, so why not incorporate that into the fun? Mixing a Hollywood-themed swag bag with a director’s clapboard, keychain, sunglasses and a shimmering silver glitter photo frame makes sure that the memories and theme will live for years to come.

Bling: Make It Personal

Prom memories are about friends and the great times. Give your guests a favor that kicks the normal photo frame up a notch. Here’s an opportunity for some momentous tokens to make these special moments last. An autograph frame and pen lets you remember your friends and their wishes.

Spa Bling 

All the girls out there are sure to love some relaxing spa products in their swag bag . Add personalized aromatic green tea scented bath salts to your swag bags to set your prom apart from other events.

Downey adds, “The key is to discover what bling will make your prom unique. Concentrate on ideas that tie into your theme and will be welcomed by your guests.”