FRISCO, TX – As seniors attend senior events throughout the school year, few think about the work behind the scenes to turn these ideas into actions.
In the words of Derisee Dawson, Vice President of Events, to plan and organize these events “It truly takes a village!”
Preparations begin in the summer or spring months before each class’s senior year. Senior parents who volunteered to join the CHS Senior Booster Club along with school administrators hop onto a call to discuss details on dates for events as well as what events to host throughout the school year.
As part of the planning process, a list of past events and a Google Form is sent out to senior students and parents to gauge event interest and determine what events to host throughout the year. Additional details such as selecting when each senior event is held and how to fit those between school-wide events are also discussed during these board meetings.
Many board members commented that logistics are some of the most challenging aspects of planning these senior events. From coordinating dates on the calendar to avoid overlapping with school-wide events like football games, to ensuring there’s enough food for all seniors attending and getting quotes from catering, venues, and DJs, members have many responsibilities and conflicts to juggle.
Penny Matos, Digital Learning Coach at Centennial and Vice President of Communications, discussed in more detail some of the logistical challenges associated with planning senior events. “We need to consider what needs to be donated, collected, or purchased, additional costs (like food or security), location fees, expected participants (to determine cost per person), as well as setting up sign-ups for volunteers,” Matos said.
Getting the word out on social media and setting up an online shop are important as well. “Once the location and time/date are set for an event we create media graphics to share with everyone, and for paid events, we get the shop set up for students to buy tickets,” Matos said.
Having Centennial staff members on the board also helps immensely with speeding up the planning process. Vice President of Events Desiree Dawson shared some insight. “Faculty members who are also on the senior board, have inside knowledge to help assist with dates of school functions and help streamline a lot of the processes that might otherwise take a lot of time. They know how to find out information quickly and know who to contact regarding different questions that arise,” Dawson said.
Despite facing logistical challenges in the planning process, board members find a sense of enjoyment from the hours they spend in meetings planning out fun events for seniors. “[I’m] looking forward to seeing all the seniors, especially my son, make his final memories in high school, [and I realize] that I have the privilege of helping plan events that add to their final year in school and create memories for them that will last a lifetime,” Dawson said.
Ginger Bay-Anderson, president of the board, is another board member excited to be part of the planning process. “What I enjoy the most is that we get to plan all the fun that becomes some of the best memories of Senior year! I love that the seniors sometimes don’t realize parents still do this stuff!! It’s like [being] room mom in elementary, but better,” Bay-Anderson said.
Seniors can look forward to Haunted Trails on October 11, along with Senior Movie Night, Lock-In (at Strikz), Senior Picnic, Baccalaureate, Bonfire Night, and more in the future.
If you have any questions about senior events they can be directed towards [email protected]. More detailed information about future events can be found on their Instagram account @cen10seniors25.
