MLHS juniors, seniors did not let weather conditions dampen their special night
Most glorious night!
Thou wert not sent for slumber!
Those words from Lord Byron’s Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage appropriately describe Mountain Lake Public High School’s (MLHS) “prom night.” (A little Brit Lit study to add to the aura.)
The upperclassmen and women of MLHS celebrated this past Saturday, April 18 with their traditional special night. A night that included the Grand March, Prom and After-Prom events. Even though the evening was not “A Night Under the Stars,” as the theme imagined, attendees did savor the night sky – and all those hours have to offer – despite being hidden by the rain and clouds.
The activities kicked off with the Grand March, held in the Mountain Lake Public School auditorium. The scene then shifted to the Mountain Lake Golf Course Clubhouse for the Prom. Included was the banquet meal, catered by Brenda Hildebrandt of One-Way Catering; a comedy act entertainment and the dance.
At midnight, the Prom-goers traveled by buses from the Clubhouse to the YMCA in Worthington for the After-Prom. They returned to Mountain Lake at approximately 4:30 a.m.
At the YMCA, students enjoyed a full slate of activities in which to participate, including – more food – games, Bingo, basketball, volleyball, swimming – and Glow in the Dark Dodge Ball. In addition, lots of prizes wertr awarded.
The following is a photo gallery from the open-to-the-public portion of events – the Grand March:
MICHAELA CATE, MLHS junior, left, and her date, Zach Steen, right, pose for the camera of Janell Bargen, left.
CARMEN SYVERSON, MLHS junior, left, toasts the event with her escort, Levi Stoesz, right.
MLHS JUNIOR AKIN Tema-Lopez rocks the fancy clothes for the evening very well.
TIB ESTRADA, LEFT, a junior at MLHS, juggles two cell phones – and their cameras – as he takes a photo of his classmate, Alex Dunker, right, and his date, Shelby Woizeschke, right, commemorating the special night.
EVEN SAMUEL CARVER, in the arms of his uncle, Daniel Nelson, came out for the Grand March. Daniel is a senior at MLHS.
MLHS SENIOR WOMEN beautify the Grand March setting. From left, Madelyn Regier, Jenny Wright, Melanie Adrian (Mountain Lake Christian senior), Kaylee Wolle, Lydia Hildebrandt, Olivia Hopwood, Caitlin Oeltjenbruns, Brianna Soutthivong and Bailey Freitag.
HOST AND HOSTESS for the Grand March – MLHS sophomores Andrew Fast, left and Jaden Hoek, right.
MLHS SENIORS JARED Saunders, left and Brianna Soutthivong, right, make their way through the Grand March with their color-coordinated tie and vest – and gown.
TWO MLHS JUNIORS, Jose Sanchez, left and Alexis Alvarado, right, at their first Grand March, pass under the starry night arch.
MLHS JUNIOR TARA Fast, right, takes the arm of her escort, Junior Garcia.
A WIDER LOOK at the Grand March setting, with MLHS senior Nick Menken and MLHS junior Annie Hanson, on their pass to greet the public.
ASSISTING HIS DATE, MLHS junior Bailey Leaman, left, down the stage steps, is Caleb Rempel, a senior at MLHS.
SMILES ALL AROUND for MLHS seniors, Byron Franz, left and Callie Jackson, right.
MLHS SENIOR (AND foreign exchange student from the Czech Republic), David Zajicek, left, makes certain that MLHS junior Alexis Jellema-Baerg, right, makes it safely down the steps from the auditorium stage.
MLHS JUNIORS OUT on the town for their first Grand March, Prom and After-Prom are Derrick Willaby, left and Ashley Watkins, right.
TIE AND GOWN coordination worked well for this couple, MLHS junior Christian Hampel, left, and his date, Deziree Koenig, right.
MLHS JUNIORS OUT for their special night – Ethan Karschnik, left and Chanah Brandt, right.
THIS MLHS COUPLE includes juniors Ian Glassic, left and Alexa Heffele, right.
PASSING UNDER THE starry arch as they come behind the auditorium curtain to meet the audience are Hayden Fast, MLHS senior, left, and his date, Lindsey Hanson, right.
GREETING THEIR FAMILY and friends seated in the Grand March audience are MLHS junior Michayla Stewart, right, and her escort, Khalil Franklin, left.
MLHS SENIOR OLIVIA Hopwood was one of a team of classmates that scooted their way through the Grand March second run-through on scooters or skateboards.
GROUP SELFIE TIME for these couples. Taking the selfie is Daniel Nelson – while also posing are, from left, Madelyn REgier, Caitlin Oeltjenbruns, Melanie Adrian, Josh Fast and Aaron Fast.
FRIENDS FOR YEARS (since the age of two) are MLHS juniors Signey Stoesz, left and Dylan Hanson, right (as well as in the framed photo from 15 years ago) – are set to celebrate that friendship and Prom events together.
JENNY WRIGHT, LEFT and Eric Wenner, right, MLHS seniors, head out to their ride – a ’70s-era Chevy Chevelle belonging to Eric’s step-mother, Diana Wenner – the protection of a large-enough umbrella keeping away the raindrops.
IT IS AN exuberant “thumbs up” from MLHS senior Austin Rogers – his review for the night ahead – as he and his date, Caitlin Brandt, a 2014 MLHS grad, avoid getting rain-soaked courtesy of the umbrella.
LEVI JAHNKE, A MLHS senior, tosses the umbrella aside to make a dash through the falling rain to pick up his ride for his date, Hayley Swagner.
LOUIS LOUANGTHILATH, A MLHS senior, right, is prepared to keep himself and his date, MLHS junior Chuntana Sayavong, left, safe and dry under an umbrella’s protection as they head out to get into the vehicle.
STEVE PETERS, RIGHT, one of a group of MLHS sophomore class dads doing valet duty, keeps MLHS junior Carly Fast dry as she heads to get into the car of her date, MLHS senior Logan Johnson.
A GROUP PHOTO of the seniors and/or their dates, taken at Mountain Lake – the young women in front of their dates. Front, from left, Melanie Adrian, Carly Fast, Annie Hanson, Caitlin Brandt, Bailey Leaman, Chandra Pfeiffer, Olivia Hopwood, Jenny Wright, Brianna Soutthivong, Kaylee Janssen, Callie Jackson, Hayley Swagner, Lindsey Hanson, Marta Stoesz, Caitlin Oeltjenbruns, Chuntana Sayavong, Lydia Hildebrandt and Madelyn Regier. Back, from left, Daniel Nelson, Logan Johnson, Nick Menken, Austin Rogers, Caleb Rempel, Eric-John Niss de Jesus, Alex Portner, Eric Wenner, Jared Saunders, Jacob Junker, Byron Franz, Levi Jahnke, Hayden Fast, Derek Harder, Aaron Fast, Louis Louangthilath, Ben Grev and Josh Fast. (Photo courtesy of Heidi Sheppard)
