More than 400 people experienced a night to remember at Northwest R-1’s annual Senior Citizen Prom held April 18 at Northwest High School in Cedar Hill.
The masquerade-themed evening featured music, a catered dinner and dancing for those aged 50 and older.
Northwest High School’s 46 student council members organized the event for the community. Morgan Siebert of St. Louis County, one of the student council sponsors, said the event is cherished by everyone in attendance, both the young and older crowds.
“After dinner is served, the dancing begins. It is so nice seeing the students dance with the attendees. They get to learn about each other and socialize,” Siebert said. “It is fun to see the blending of different generations. It is, overall, a wonderful community event. And, at the end of the day, who doesn’t love dancing?”
The DJ for the night, Steve Van Hoogstraat, is a familiar face at Northwest and shared his fondness for the event.
“I taught for many years here at the (Northwest) high school and retired in 2018. I’m from the graduating class of 1973. I play a little of everything when I am the DJ. I love seeing new faces and even some old classmates enjoy themselves here. The StuCo students work so hard on this event. It is nice to see everyone having a good time.”
Regulars at the prom, Janet Poor, 72, of House Springs and Judi Ronzio, 74, of Murphy said the event is always a lot of fun.
“The kids (student council members) make you want to get on the dance floor. It is just a wonderful atmosphere,” Poor said. “Plus, it is always fun to say, ‘I’m getting ready to go to prom,’” Ronzio added.
New to the Senior Citizen Prom were Crystal Murray, 59, and Gil Murray, 64, of House Springs, who decided to attend on a whim.
“This is our first prom ever. We both didn’t attend our own proms in high school. We read about this event in the (Leader) newspaper, and it sounded like a lot of fun. There has been great music, good food and cool costumes all night. It is amazing that they (Northwest R-1) put this on,” Crystal said.
Skylar Nix and Aviah Inman, both students at Northwest High School, said they enjoy hosting the free event for the public each year.
“I love seeing everyone come together for a fun night,” said Nix, a junior.
“I love seeing the student council members being able to serve their community in a special way. Everyone, the senior citizens and the students, all really enjoy themselves,” added Inman, a senior.
