Varela hosts "Senior" Prom

West Kendall Students host prom for senior citizens


By LATOYA BURGESS
lburgess@MiamiHerald.com

A group of South Miami-Dade high school students spent a recent Saturday giving new meaning to the term ``senior prom.''

The Key Club at Felix Varela Senior High School in West Kendall hosted a senior citizen's prom earlier this month for residents of the nearby Coral Reef Senior Nursing home, 9869 SW 152nd Ter.

Seniors at the prom played alphabet bingo and dice games that included prizes like socks, candles and playing cards.

Key Club president Sanah Faroke, a senior at Varela High, said the prom was her idea and a fun way to do something that benefits the community.

``One reason the Key Club created this prom is to aid those who need a little sunshine in their lives and to show that there is still kindness in the world,'' Sanah said.

Key Club members Ena Marie Montero and Alissa Alayeto wowed the crowd with their own rendition of Lee Ann Womack's I Hope You Dance.

Among the 30 senior citizens at the prom, all in wheelchairs, sat author John Holman, who published a book that chronicles his fight with cerebral palsy and how he hasn't been able to speak for several years.

Because Holman cannot talk, he designed a communication board with common words so that he can convey messages to the public.

Holman sat front and center listening attentively to Ena Marie and Alissa's performance. He pointed out the words: THIS-IS-GREAT.

Dorothy ``Dot'' Keim, 86, was crowned prom queen. She said the song reminded her of her dancing days when she was a young woman living in New York.

``I used to go dancing with my husband all the time,'' she said. ``He loved to dance, and he was the cutest man: tall, dark hair, light eyes. We'd dance to all kinds of music, I loved it.''

Betty Patterson, 69, who has lived at the nursing home for about two months, said her favorite part of the prom was the raffle, in which she won a prize she thinks was tailor-made for her.

``I love ballet, and I won a ballerina figurine,'' Patterson said. ``I'm really glad these students came out here and did this for us.''

Janice Lewis, a science teacher and advisor of the school's Key Club, also works as a sponsor for the international organization. She said the club benefits the community at large and that the students have a lot to gain, as well.

``Our club is primarily based on being a servant to the community,'' Lewis said. ``But we also expose out students to etiquette, how to get jobs and how to represent themselves.''

Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students, boasting approximately 250,000 members and representing 30 countries.

Each Key Club member pays an annual fee of $15. Varela's Key Club currently has 40 paying members.

Lewis says she is hoping to expand that number.

``My job is so wonderful because I get to cater to the needs of each individual student,'' Lewis said. ``A lot of students don't understand how important it is to get on the right track early.''



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