The school will follow in the footsteps of North Little Rock with the parent-sponsored official Prom After-Party.
It will be located in the field house from 11:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. April 25. Tickets are $5 and available alongside prom tickets in Ashley Harrison’s room. Juniors and seniors who do not attend prom are still welcome to attend the after party. All attendees must sign an After Prom contract, separate from the prom contract.
Chick-Fil-A has donated gift vouchers, which are similar to gift cards but for predesignated food. Local businesses and insurance agent have provided gift cards to restaurants as well as money for the after prom party committee to use to purchase additional prizes.
Contests will be scattered throughout the night, competing for the gift cards and other prizes. Because of the active nature of the event, partygoers coming from prom should bring a change of clothes.
For entertainment, the after party will provide food and drinks, a photo booth, a DJ, laser tag, zumba, inflatables, and more- including an “oxygen bar,” where students can inhale “flavored scents” of 100 percent oxygen
Additionally, a pre-prom dinner, advertised as “The Glass Slipper,” will be upstairs at Bishop Park. Gina’s Catering will provide food for the candlelit dinner. Reservations are required. If attending, place orders for the varying three-course meals April 13-17 and April 20-23.
Increasing parent and business leader involvement promotes an underlying cause: safety. Prom is, generally, a dangerous night because of the possibility of underage drinking and drug use paired with late nights. By providing a safe alternative, the community hopes to decrease prom dangers.
“[Safety] is definitely a goal of the after party, but it is not the only reason. We want to give students a choice and also give students an opportunity to continue their fun by having the after party. It also is an effort to allow students who do not want to go to prom or perhaps can’t an opportunity to participate in some way. The [main] goal of the event is to provide the students a choice to continue their evening by providing a safe but fun environment with activities that cover broad interests,” coordinator Allison Ramsey said.
This event is quite possibility the first of many. Many other schools already have an established after party.
“We know that this is a first for Bryant, and we hope that this is just the beginning,” Ramsey said.
As of now, an attendance estimate for the school’s after prom party cannot be given, as ticket sales have not ended. However, the hope is that this after prom party produces the results that other schools have seen.
“There are many schools, such as Cabot, Lake Hamilton and Russellville where the after prom event is the event. That is the goal in years to come,” Ramsey said.
