Prom: A Night in Wonderland

All the Wonderland decorations came together for one truly magical and wonderful evening of prom. We used the cafeteria, which was not a fancy venue, but it was free and easy to transport the decorations (except for the heavy wooden panels, which my paraprofessional and I moved three times this week, leaving bruises up and down my forearms.) Worth it. Here's how it all turned out.

Having a a second photo area away from the dance floor made it easy for couples to leave the crowd and have a private photo shoot.

Giant Chess pieces and an optional Wonderland sign helped bring the spirit of the theme into the photo backdrop.

More photo options: The Cheshire cat can either be used to show off your beautiful prom clothes, or hide it depending on which spot you choose.

One of our graduating seniors showed me his pocket watch which displays time in Braille, before I handed him one of our big pocket watch decorations to feel.

Draped table cloths and rose topiaries helped to hide the cafeteria food line.

We had about 5 to 7 student-made hats serve as the centerpieces for each table grouping of 8 seats. It fit with the Mad Hatter Tea Party. You can see Alice's legs in the background.

 There were also vases of half painted roses and playing cards "flying out" of the top.

Keys and doorknob decorations were practically free to make. If students don't get the reference, they can read the book. Let our prom open the door, to your heart.

Kristie, our amazing food lady knows what our kids will eat and still managed to dress it up and keep with the theme!

The local news station sent a camera man who is shown here shooting our decorations hanging over the dance floor.

We had the movie that inspired the prom, playing silently in the corner during the dance.

Rock and Roll Sets and Student Exhibition

 I started my Set Design class just two Fridays before the Spring Concert at school, which meant I would only have the help of four students for less than 4 hours total to create four 8 foot tall panels and a 6 foot long submarine. I'd have to do some serious prep-work and between class muscle work to get it done on time.

The theme of the concert was "Rock and Roll", so I did intercontinental themed sets, focusing on the British Invasion. It's hard to imagine how many lives were forever changed the night the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show, after all. I drew up some plans, and when the students got to class, we projected my drawings onto the Christmas snowflake backgrounds and they traced them in chalk. I painted three of the panels during the week. 

The following Friday they painted the fourth panel, traced, projected, and painted the Yellow Submarine. So we finished in time and still managed to put together the Art Exhibit for all my other students in the lobby!

On the big day, I got to participate in an aerobics themed percussion piece performed by the faculty to Tyler Swift's "Shake It Off," which made for a nice send off before Spring Break!

Mark, Sets, Motown!

8 ft panels with Stevie, Michael, Aretha, and the Marvelettes, let up on stage

Music students have been practicing all semester for a spring concert full of good Motown classics, by musicians such as the Jackson 5, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and the Marvelletes. Our birch sets had been painted over four or five times and I didn't want to risk peeling paint; plus I thought it might be nice to keep some of the naked wood; so students dismantled past sets and flipped it around to use the back. I outlined high contrast images of some focus musicians for the students to paint within the lines.

Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking our high school students are married to current genres of pop, rap, or country, but in fact, all of my students love Motown in the background when they work. They all start singing when "My Girl" starts playing.

Our  concert was scheduled for next Friday. We have since been closed the school for at least two weeks to slow the spread of COVID 19, but I am hopeful that the concert will still happen one day, and when it does, the sets are set.

Whoville Christmas Program Sets

Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot. This year our school is performing a Grinch themed concert and so I was tasked with designing the Whoville sets. 

I sketched out some of Dr. Suess's house drawings, placed added some trees and mountains and projected them onto 8 foot panels. I had to outline them in black paint for my visually impaired students to see, and even then it was hard to differentiate from the gingerbread background that was already there, so I'd trace those with thicker color lines.

Within a couple of Friday afternoons, most of the painting was finished and we were able to use them as a backdrop for our "Santa and Mrs. Claus pictures" at the student Christmas party.

Meanwhile, I got word that I was on a team to help decorate an office space the Department of Education in Atlanta. Guess what the theme was? How the Grinch Stole Christmas!  So I spent a few afternoons creating cardboard cut outs of Whos.

My teammates stuffed Grinch pajamas with newspaper and added hands, feet, and a lower face using polar fleece that matched perfectly. They curled bulletin board paper for tree boughs, made a 3D paper roast beast, and printed labels for cans of who hash! The Grinch has a cane and is reading a Braille book, which is also a scratch and sniff book from 1970. It still smells! (No one will probably notice, but we get a kick out of little things like that).

Flat decorations were made tactile like garlands and snow (batting) were  glued to the "Welcome to Whoville" arch. We hung real ornaments on our paper trees. Glued yarn for hair, beards, and colors, buttons, pom-poms, and jingle bell for accessaries. 

 A couple of Whos and Max the dog as a portion of our office hallway to deck.

Of course the sets eventually made it to the stage. We painted colorful cobblestone walkways with snow in between on the stage floor. Now we just wait for the giant Whoville backdrop and the Grinch to show up for this week's performance.

Gingerbread Themed Christmas Sets

This year, I was given the green light to take the sets for our school winter concert sets any direction I wanted, so I directed myself towards a gingerbread theme. Yum! I had two high school students help me hone the idea, transfer my drawings on to 4 8'X4' panels, and paint the large areas.

Part of this theme came from wondering if there was a way to transform our giant (6 foot tall) Snoopy dog house from "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" into a gingerbread house. The top had been flat, for Snoopy to use as a singing platform then; but I talked the set builders (horticulture teacher and two other students) to raise the roof, and close the front and back triangle shaped hole. The wood didn't fit exactly, but a little masking tape was used to cover the gaps, and with enough brown paint, no one can tell from a distance.

It was strange to see our spring musical images covered up little by little and gratifying to see a whole new look.



We also got to paint a Santa Sleigh for a student Christmas party photo op.

The day we took the panels out of my classroom to go to the stage and lobby was a bitter sweet day. My classroom feels like my house the day on January 2nd: almost naked and stark without all the holiday cheer, but also cleaner and bigger. The program today was wonderful, and I'm so glad I got to help.