| The Sun-Times Serving Williamsville and Sherman |
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10th annual 'Senior' Prom a success in Sherman
By Byron Painter
Editor
If it turns out to be the last ‘Senior’ Prom, it went out with a bang.
For the 10th year, the Williamsville High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Dave Pruitt, and the
WHS sociology class, under teacher Dave Carter, combined to sponsor the event, held at the Sherman
United Methodist Church.
There is no admission fee for the senior citizens to attend the event.
It was planned to be the last one before the event, though the two Daves are less equivocal about that
now that the event has passed. They have received pleas from many to continue the event.
The duo, along with district secretary Kay Carter (Dave’s wife), who is in charge of the decorations,
helped bring the event to town a decade ago; a column by then-Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Greene,
who wrote about such an event at a junior high in the Chicagoland area, got the ball rolling.
The first one, which almost was the last one, had around 230 people in attendance; in recent years, the
attendance has been between 500 and 600.
According to the program for the event, “Our goal for our students is to make this an educational
experience that they will remember fondly in years to come. We want it to be a service project that is
rewarding for our students as well as for our guests.”
Many of the students involved dedicate the event in memory of family members who served our country in
wartime.
The fathers of all three people mentioned above were World War II veterans (Pruitt’s dad was at
Normandy and received a Purple Heart and Service Star), and the role of that generation is a big part of the
evening. Veterans are specifically recognized for their service to this country.
The evening is filled with music from bygone years, and Pruitt noted that the most current piece of music
came from the 1960s from Van Morrison.
Not only do the students get exposed to other kinds of music, but they also get to commiserate with the
senior citizens in attendance.
Pat Lyttaker teaches the sociology students dance lessons, which the students can use to dance with
the guests.
The jazz band played for over three hours and went through almost 60 songs.
With many of “The Greatest Generation,” as coined by Tom Brokaw, passing on, “we are losing the
people to play this music for,” said Pruitt, who had relatives from Janesville, Wisc. attend the event.
“It really has been a labor of love,” said Dave Carter.
Just one of the heartwarming (or heartwrenching) stories heard over the years, according to Dave Carter,
was with six members of the Williamsville High School Class of 1945. They were in the war before they
graduated, and two of them were able to be honored at this event before they passed on (the six missed
their prom senior year because of the war). The other four had passed away before the first prom event.
Carter has his students research some of the attendees, and “I have always been really proud of how
hard they work on their speeches.”
All three thanked profusely the sponsors that allowed the event to be such a success for 10 years, saying
that there would be no way for the event to thrive without them.
The event does not cost the school district a penny, either.
“To see the happiness on their (the senior guests) faces is a great thing,” concluded Pruitt.
By Byron Painter
Editor
If it turns out to be the last ‘Senior’ Prom, it went out with a bang.
For the 10th year, the Williamsville High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Dave Pruitt, and the
WHS sociology class, under teacher Dave Carter, combined to sponsor the event, held at the Sherman
United Methodist Church.
There is no admission fee for the senior citizens to attend the event.
It was planned to be the last one before the event, though the two Daves are less equivocal about that
now that the event has passed. They have received pleas from many to continue the event.
The duo, along with district secretary Kay Carter (Dave’s wife), who is in charge of the decorations,
helped bring the event to town a decade ago; a column by then-Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Greene,
who wrote about such an event at a junior high in the Chicagoland area, got the ball rolling.
The first one, which almost was the last one, had around 230 people in attendance; in recent years, the
attendance has been between 500 and 600.
According to the program for the event, “Our goal for our students is to make this an educational
experience that they will remember fondly in years to come. We want it to be a service project that is
rewarding for our students as well as for our guests.”
Many of the students involved dedicate the event in memory of family members who served our country in
wartime.
The fathers of all three people mentioned above were World War II veterans (Pruitt’s dad was at
Normandy and received a Purple Heart and Service Star), and the role of that generation is a big part of the
evening. Veterans are specifically recognized for their service to this country.
The evening is filled with music from bygone years, and Pruitt noted that the most current piece of music
came from the 1960s from Van Morrison.
Not only do the students get exposed to other kinds of music, but they also get to commiserate with the
senior citizens in attendance.
Pat Lyttaker teaches the sociology students dance lessons, which the students can use to dance with
the guests.
The jazz band played for over three hours and went through almost 60 songs.
With many of “The Greatest Generation,” as coined by Tom Brokaw, passing on, “we are losing the
people to play this music for,” said Pruitt, who had relatives from Janesville, Wisc. attend the event.
“It really has been a labor of love,” said Dave Carter.
Just one of the heartwarming (or heartwrenching) stories heard over the years, according to Dave Carter,
was with six members of the Williamsville High School Class of 1945. They were in the war before they
graduated, and two of them were able to be honored at this event before they passed on (the six missed
their prom senior year because of the war). The other four had passed away before the first prom event.
Carter has his students research some of the attendees, and “I have always been really proud of how
hard they work on their speeches.”
All three thanked profusely the sponsors that allowed the event to be such a success for 10 years, saying
that there would be no way for the event to thrive without them.
The event does not cost the school district a penny, either.
“To see the happiness on their (the senior guests) faces is a great thing,” concluded Pruitt.
Issue Date: June 12, 2008