Eighteen volunteer RHS seniors enjoyed dancing to DJ music, mingling, and eating chicken nuggets and fries at the Senior Citizen Prom, held at the Randolph Community Center on May 2.

The high school students also witnessed the crowning moment of the event when township residents Rose Gangemi and Ed Dorsey were named Prom Queen and King.

The multi-generational event was the combined effort of Lindsay Reilly, the RHS Dean of Students, and Barbara Lukavich, the Randolph Township Parks and Recreation Services Coordinator. “I’m so proud of our students for going out of their way to not only create memories with each other prior to graduation, but to make this a memorable experience for our senior citizen community members as well,” Reilly said.

“The kids brought in a lot of youthful energy that we have needed at these types of events,” said Jackie, one of the senior citizens in attendance.

As soon as the RHS seniors arrived at the Community Center, they were greeted with open arms and cheers from the senior citizens. It was not long before the senior students began mingling with the senior citizens then headed straight for the dance floor.

“I walked into the room a little nervous,” RHS senior Frank LoVerde admitted. “But some of the senior citizens discussed with me how other people’s opinions truly do not matter. Hearing it from them made it a lot more believable. It made me super comfortable in the environment, and I had a great time dancing with all of them.”

The music of the Beatles, Smokey Robinson, and Neil Diamond kept both generations of seniors moving their feet. The DJ mixed in a variety of songs, from ballroom dancing to slow songs to conga lines, to spice things up. He also included line dancing classics like the Macarena and Electric Slide.

As for the songs that traditionally did not have a line dance—no problem, the senior citizens created their own. It was an event filled with joy and life.

“Yesterday was really refreshing as a teacher to see a large group of students put themselves out there in a genuine and natural manner,” said chaperone Michelle Adriano, who teaches dance at the high school. “The students were interacting with the senior citizens and having meaningful conversations with them. Everyone was dancing and having fun; it was all very authentic.”

After the dancing concluded, everyone waited in excitement for the Prom King and Queen to be announced. The King, Ed Dorsey, and Queen, Rose Gangemi, were crowned and loud applause followed.

“They were very welcoming and friendly, and they really seemed to enjoy the company,” RHS senior Louis Gentile said of the senior citizen attendees. “It made me happy to make them happy.”