Red Devil Ready:DCHS WeeKly Message

Week 30: It Was Nothing like Carrie

Decatur County Community High School

605 E Commercial St, Oberlin, KS 67749

March 30, 2025 (Schedule at the bottom, Skip What You Want)

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Decatur community,

Prom, unlike other dances, is almost a 24 hour experience. I've heard rumor that the ritual begins for many the night before with an early night to sleep.

The day begins by waking up with the excitement and expectation of the experience early in the morning. Generally the attendees spend the first part of the day making sure that their hair is ready, nails and makeup just right, and their attire perfected.

In the early afternoon, families take individual pictures, followed by the the gathering of close friends and Prom dates taking photos together in a variety of locations.

Late afternoon usually leads to larger groups, meeting up for whole class photos, generally at a local hotspot (Sappa). From there, find your date, the group you are rolling with, and get ready for the festivities to officially begin.

When the whole crew is ready, the Promenade begins, the automobile-appetizer kicking off the show as the guests cruise down Penn in their cars. Then the students walk down Penn with their date for the night in front of hundreds of spectators. Parents, extended family, and local supporters line the street on both sides with wide smiles coming from everyone as they look on at those that were not so long ago standing right there on the same side of the street that they are now.

After the Promenade, it's dinner time, a catered experience at the Gateway where Prom sponsors, sophomore servers, school board members, and school staff are there to enjoy the Pre-Prom meal with the guests.

The dance lasts three and a half hours and is loaded with extravagant decorations, a live dj, and loads of snacks and beverages.

When the dance is over, it is time for Post-Prom, a late night lock-in that has more music, more food, games, prizes, and a final opportunity for many students to hang out together as a school group one last time. At 3:00 am, the experience comes to an end, and students can begin their much needed rest.

I just hope they're not still asleep come Monday morning!

SHOUTOUTS

Shoutout to Mrs. Gina Witt and the entire cast of the Beeblebrox and Bixley Traveling Circus and Sideshow. I know that there were moments when all of them thought that they weren't going to pull it off, but they did a great job. Once the lights came on and things were for real, you could tell that the students truly started to feel comfortable. I was impressed by the hard work that went into everything from the acting to the costumes/decorations.

Shoutout to the DCHS baseball team. Yes, we lost our first games, but the new era has begun. On top of that, the team grew over the week. We are now up to 13 boys on the team, and I am looking forward to the home opener on Tuesday.

Shoutout to counselor Jillian Springer for organizing the Freshmen Orientation this past Thursday. The night provided a lot of information to both students and parents that came to the event, and the opportunity was there for both to ask a lot of questions. A special thanks to AD Brandon Gehring for providing information about the various activities involved, as well as another special thanks to the parents that showed up. It was a solid turnout.

Shoutout to all of the seniors that have been working hard to get their scholarships done before deadlines. Oberlin has an amazing local scholarship program, and it's great to witness the transition from high school student to college student/and or adult, as students make thoughtful decisions and make responsible choices as they near Graduation. The class of '25 is a class that will be missed.

2:00 Early Release

There will be a 2:00 Early Release Day this week on Wednesday.

There will be another 2:00 Early Release Day on Thursday, April 10th.

Prom Schedule

Saturday, April 05, 2025

4:00-5:15: Rotarians will be available for students or their parents to take their change of clothes for After prom to the Gateway

4:30: Pictures at the Golf Course

5:00-5:15: Meet at Pizza Hut

5:15: Depart Pizza Hut for Auto Promendade downtown and by Good Sam, park at Sunflower Rec.

5:30 Promenade begins

5:30- 6:30: Public Viewing of Prom Decorations at the Gateway

6:30: Arrival at the Gateway for Banquet

8:00-12:00: Dance

12:00-3:00: After Prom

Kansas State Assessments Start This Week

April is State Assessment month. This week 7th, 8th, and 10th grade students at DCHS will be taking the Kansas ELA Assessment. These tests are very important. It is an opportunity to really see how well our students have gained the knowledge that the State has deemed necessary. The assessment gives us information that we can use to improve teaching strategies and lets us know how we compare to other schools across the state.

Assessments are given to students in the JH and High School at these grade levels:

ELA: 7, 8, 10

Math : 1, 8, 10

Science: 8, 11

Red Devil Ready

You know, for a large majority of my youth, my thoughts of Prom were flooded with images of a much too young encounter with the movie Carrie based on a Stephen King book. Throughout my late elementary through junior high days of school, I had no interest in a Prom, the vision of Carrie on stage emblazoned in my mind, but as high school came around and youth gave way to adolescence, Prom became something to look forward to.

As a Wichita NW Grizzly, Prom was always at the Mid-America All-Indian Center, and I am happy to say that they were nothing like Carrie.

To all of our Red Devils that will attend Prom 2025, cherish these moments.

Until next week,

Jeremy Holloway

Go Big Red!