Next week we will be sending out a great Poster for your Notice Board to let you know when the all important Prom Committee Meeting is to be held.

Let us know when you see it on your notice board and you will be entered into a competition for itunes vouchers!

Spread the word!

Whether taking place at a local hotel or country club, or even at the school itself, the sight of stretched limos, classic cars, buses, fire engines horse drawn carriages, tractors with trailers and even helicopters, bringing beautifully dressed young ladies and handsomely dressed young men is becoming all the more common.  For most of the guests the glittering ball gown or new suits or hired tux are obviously not their usual attire – and it shows, as they awkwardly settle into the evening.  The flash of cameras is continuous as groups of friends and classmates, with whom they have shared the highs and lows, come together to celebrate, experiencing a rite of passage in surroundings worthy of such an event  - it’s the school Prom. 

In the last six years, this high school import from the U.S. has become a major focus of activity alongside year 11 examinations and the decisions relating to the students’ futures. 

The Prom is often largely organised by the students themselves, overseen by a senior member of staff.  Not only is it a major focus for the students, it has also become of commercial importance for local traders and service providers. In some parts of the U.K. there are now prom fairs where local providers offer schools and their students presentations on how they can assist in making the Prom night one to remember.  Venues, caterers, dress and suit hire companies, entertainment artists/discos, novelty transport, make-up specialists , decorations and event photographers will all be on hand to help make it a night to remember.  It’s rapidly becoming big business. 

Brian Fisher, an event photographer and an ex-teacher of social ethics in a number of Shropshire schools, finds this new love of the prom very interesting.  He firmly believes that this new experience can be of great value socially for the local teenagers.  Organising the event in a safe environment, at venues outside of their normal experience is a positive learning experience, whilst the formal wear also helps them to enter the world of adulthood.  For some, this form of celebration will become a regular thing as they journey through life, for others though, this will be a special experience to be treasured by them and their family.  As a photographer and an ex-teacher secondary school teacher, Brian has become very conscious that some businesses see The Prom as a means of making a good income from vulnerable teenagers and their families.  However, he also recognises that it’s a great opportunity for local companies to display the quality of their services and products. This way, as they become independent adults, the teenagers will return to develop relationships with these businesses as they celebrate other family, business or social events throughout their lives. As a photographer who takes, prints and sells the prom photographs on the night, I have gained future bookings for weddings, family portraits, social events etc. 

I would hope that other businesses would see the Prom in such a way, by reducing their prices, offering first class service, offering free advice to prom organisers and hopefully making The Prom an event which everyone can enjoy. 

For more information about Brian Fisher, take a look at his web site www.shropshirephotographer.co.uk 

Or view his advertisement opposite this post.

We'd love to hear about your school prom, and we're planning to run a regular feature over the summer looking at what schools have been doing all over the country, and we need your help!

If any of you are planning a career in journalism or writing for the web, this is a chance for you to get some exposure and have something to write on your university applications to boot. We'd love to gather a team of informal reporters who'll write an article for us about their school prom, and if there is a photo or two as well, that would be brilliant.

Fancy being a reporter for your school prom?

What we'll do for you
•    We'll send you some guidelines so you're not facing a blank page alone
•    We'll edit your article a tiny bit to make sure it's as polished as possible
•    We'll put a bio about you at the end of the article with a link to your site if you have one (and a picture of your shining face too if you want!)
•    You'll get all the credit and a permanent web page link that you can send out to family, friends, talent scouts ;o) But seriously, we'll keep the page safe with a permanent link so you can use it on applications for work experience / internships
•    We'll send you a little pressie to say thank you

What you need to do
•    Drop us a line through the contact form to say you want to join the team so we can send you guidelines
•    Write the article – around 500 words long is fine and that's only one page in Word.
•    Write a little bio about yourself (remember the golden rule of web writing: would you be happy for your Gran to read it?)
•    Send any pictures if you're happy for them to be published on the site

How does that sound? Drop us a line through the contact form if you're interested!