Penncrest's AM Prom Changes Location to Familiar Spot

About 20 years ago Penncrest High School began holding a very special event after the senior prom in order to keep the seniors and their dates safe. The AM Prom has become a huge extravaganza that has an attendance of approximately 500 students. A large committee of parents worked throughout the year developing games, getting donations and fundraising to provide a fun and safe place for their kids to go after the prom.

As they celebrate their 20th anniversary the Penncrest AM Prom had a small hitch—due to renovations at the usual location, Springton Lake Middle School, the parents had to move the event to a new location. Luckily, it’s a pretty familiar place to students and parents. After a glamorous prom night at Drexelbrook, students can head over to none other than Penncrest High School for this year's AM Prom.

"[The AM Prom] was a way to keep kids from traveling to the shore overnight, possibly drinking and driving. It was giving them a safe place to continue to hang out with their friends and continue to enjoy the night," explained parent and committee member Kim McMann. The event is completely run by parents and throughout the year they hold events to raise money, such as the held earlier this year.

The Penncrest parents always see a huge amount of support from the community. The silent auction yielded a great amount of prize donations such as weekend getaways and spa packages. They also receive a good amount of donations for the AM Prom itself. Most of the local townships have made monetary donations as well. This year the students will be munching all night long on a generous gift of snacks provided by Herr's.

McMann also said local businesses can come out and view the AM Prom site prior to the event. On Saturday, 8 to 10 p.m. business owners can check out the amazing work the parents have done with the help of the community donations. Also, this would be an ideal time for businesses that are thinking about getting involved to see what a great service this event is for the high school students.

The parents were told late last June that the venue would be changed, but even with plenty of planning time the parents saw a few challenges. First, the space at Penncrest High School was much bigger than they were used to working with, so they had to think a little bigger. McMann told Patch "off the record" a few of the new events they will be rolling out this year and it will definitely be a blockbuster night.

Another challenge they faced was having to prepare in Penncrest High School. The parents always pick a theme and try to keep it under wraps until the night of the event. While working on decorations at Springton Middle School the parents had no worries of seniors stumbling onto their plans, but it has been a little more difficult working right under the student's noses.

So far the major plans don't appear to have leaked out to the students. McMann describes the atmosphere a little like a carnival. There is also a little bit of a Dave and Buster's vibe. There are a ton of games that students can win prizes and can even trade up to bigger prizes. They also have a cool lounge area for the students to just relax and hang out. The main focus is that the students create memories of their last days in high school that are fun and safe.