“Mary Olson spins better than 90 percent of 90-year-olds. She wisely pairs a red satin top with comfy New Balances on Prom Night.
“Life is short, I have no regrets,”” she says of her dancing days, old and new. Here, Olson takes a turn with Marquette sophomore Brennan Foeckler.” photo by Sara Stathas
This Milwaukee Event is a Different Kind of Senior Prom
The gents are dressed to the nines and ladies don their best jewelry. Just don’t forget your walker.
The roughly 70 guests of honor are sexagenarians to centenarians, and despite their age, several of them say it’s their first such dance. Some slowly shuffle into the festively decorated cafeteria, in bow ties and dresses; others in Brewers caps and sweatpants are pushed in wheelchairs by caretakers.
“At least I was wearing red when they dragged me out here,” 100-year-old Marcella Bishanell laughs.
Divine Savior Holy Angels senior Abigail Stoffel says she prefers the event to her own junior prom. “There’s less people, it’s better decorated. It’s going to be a lot better coordinated and more fun.”
DSHA senior Katie Schulz, who helped coordinate the event with Stoffel, says “It’s one of our favorite events because it’s one of their favorite events.”
A couple of attendees fall asleep in their seats. One woman wearing a sweater asks for wine; all she gets is fruit punch, but she seems content anyways.
Some dancers are quicker than others. When the music starts, one woman just about sprints to the dance floor with the help of her walker.
Residents trickle in and out as the evening progresses. When you’ve been alive since Herbert Hoover’s presidency, your energy tends to dip.
American proms — short for “promenade,” an antiquated French term that means “leisurely walk” — can be traced to Ivy League schools’ “Presentation Week.” Proms backtracked from college to high school in the early 1900s, where they’ve become a coming-of-age staple, and became more extravagant in the post-World War II boom.
The fifth annual event, themed “Enchantment Under the Sea”, wasorganized by four DSHA High School seniors and a team of St. Anne’s residents; photo by Sara Stathas
The room starts to empty out around 7:45; octogenarians have an early bedtime. The remaining dancers circle up for a rendition of “Roll Out The Barrel.” A freshman girl from DSHA can be heard saying, “This is so much fun it doesn’t even feel like service.” photo by Sara Stathas
In the fall, students from DSHA and Marquette spend two weeks not in school, but instead doing service at different local communities. It’s known as their “Vocare,” which is Latin for “call.” Abigail Stoffel, a senior at DSHA, spent her time volunteering at St. Anne’s, enjoying the company of seniors for seven hours every day. “At first, I saw it as any old service,” she says. But that changed quickly. “I love these people. I love listening to their stories.” photo by Sara Stathas
Some of the Marquette boys hid on the outskirts of the room whilst stealing glances at smartphone screens, some of them wearing suits they probably borrowed from Dad. But most of them found the floor and a dance partner, even if it took some convincing; photo by Sara Stathas
Marcella Bishanell turned 101 in April. “When I was dancing age I’d dance my life away,” she says. “I used to go from the beginning of the evening until the very end.”
Tonight, she remains happily seated, nibbling on pretzel Goldfish crackers and sipping punch.
She never went to any dances as a whippersnapper; the man who would be her husband took another girl to their prom. photo by Sara Stathas
photo by Sara Stathas
photo by Sara Stathas
photo by Sara Stathas
Betty Kasdorf, 75, accompanies her husband of 53 years, Jim, 82.
“We’ve been dancing for a long time. We like to get out and have fun,” Betty says.
“The activity directors throughout this whole facility are just awesome … This is better than sitting upstairs watching TV.” photo by Sara Stathas
Many of the seniors (not the high school ones) had never attended their own proms. St. Anne’s, Marquette and DSHA give the seniors a chance to reclaim a part of their youth they’d missed; photo by Sara Stathas
Seniors in high school and at St. Anne’s are crooned by the Maggie’smile band, a group that formed in honor of Maggie Bersch, a young girl who passed away a number of years ago from cancer. When “Maggie’smile” fundraisers ceased, the band started reforming yearly for The Seniors with Seniors Trot; photo by Sara Stathas
“Mary Olson spins better than 90 percent of 90-year-olds. She wisely pairs a red satin top with comfy New Balances on Prom Night.
“Life is short, I have no regrets,”” she says of her dancing days, old and new. Here, Olson takes a turn with Marquette sophomore Brennan Foeckler.” photo by Sara Stathas
photo by Sara Stathas
Volunteers from DSHA made corsages, boutonnieres and gift bags for prom participants. The Marquette boys helped decorate the space the night before; photo by Sara Stathas
85-year-old Rudy Gabos, a Korean army vet, was the first on the dance floor, rolling from one dance partner to the next. His legs aren’t really under him anymore, but he smiles constantly, swinging his arms and bobbing his head to oldies hits like “Ain’t that a Kick In the Head,” “Edelweiss” and “Sugar, Sugar.” photo by Sara Stathas
Adam is a journalist who recently returned to his Wisconsin home after graduating from Drake University in December 2017. He interned with MilMag in the summer of 2015 and has been a continual contributor ever since. Follow him on social media @Could_Be_Rogan
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