Prom

Christine Carrillo Crystal Nay always imagined she would attend her high school prom. She could imagine dressing up in a fancy gown, being escorted by a handsome date and dancing the night away with her friends. The one thing she never imagined -- that her school wouldn't have a prom. Nay attends Orange Coast Middle College High School in Costa Mesa. In the six years of the school's existence, the juniors and senior that make up the school's student body have never had a prom.

Marisa O'Neil A Huntington Beach High School student committed suicide this weekend at a hotel party after his school prom, officials said. Senior Christopher Davidson, 18, was with his 16-year-old girlfriend and nearly 100 other students at a party early Saturday at the Residence Inn in the 800 block of West Baker Street, Costa Mesa police Lt. John FitzPatrick said. After a fight with his girlfriend and friends, Davidson locked himself in the bathroom, FitzPatrick said.

Tickets are available for South County Senior Services? 18th annual Seniors? Prom Nov. 4 at Irvine Marriott Hotel. Presented by Cox Communications, the prom is a fundraiser to support area senior services, including Meals on Wheels, Adult Day Health Care and senior centers. Art Linkletter, author of ?Old Age is Not For Sissies? and host of ?Children Say the Darndest Things? will be the guest speaker at the event. Tickets for the prom are $30 in advance, $35 at the door.

Deepa Bharath It wasn't a regular high school prom. It wasn't meant to be. But it was Orange Coast Middle College High School's first-ever prom. So, the excitement in the Balboa Fun Zone as the students waited to board the Tiki boat was palpable. The school had made an unsuccessful attempt last year at starting this tradition, which is almost taken for granted at other high schools. "We wanted to have one last year, but didn't really get a good response from students and parents," said Richard Hoff, English teacher and one of the school's founders.

Last year Katherine Lang collected more than 65 prom dresses for girls from low-income households. Sunday the non-profit group Working Wardrobes thanked Katherine for her hard work by giving her a Presidential Service award at the Balboa Bay Club during a charity event. More than 400 people gathered for an afternoon tea in the Newport Beach resort's Grand Ballroom to donate money toward the charity and honor the young girl's hard work gathering gowns for the Cinderellas for Life program.

This year’s proms featured pat-downs and Breathalyzers, so as our kids were getting ready for their respective evenings, I gave them some personal prom history. Surprisingly, I did not get a rolling of the eyes or an “Oh, Dad.” I actually got questions when I was finished, a sure sign that someone is listening. Unless, of course, the question is, “Did you say something?” When I graduated from high school in 1973, proms were just coming back in vogue, after being avoided for many years because they were not cool.

NEWPORT BEACH ? A single red dress hung on a makeshift coat rack in the campus quad during lunchtime Thursday at Corona del Mar High School. Ninth-grader Katherine Lang had donated the garment, which her mother wore to a charity event last year. The dress was slightly used, but later this month, it will be a first for someone else. This week, Katherine and seven of her friends organized a drive to collect prom dresses for economically needy girls in Orange County. By the end of lunch Thursday, the collection table had amassed five dresses, and the White Dress retailer in Newport Beach donated around a dozen more later in the afternoon.

Many deserving high school girls will have cherished memories of their proms thanks to the efforts of 19 volunteers from Costa Mesa-based Experian. The Heart of Experian, along with hundreds of other community volunteers, recently assisted with the Working Wardrobes? Cinderellas For Life event. The 500 Cinderellas, who are all students in the Garden Grove Unified School District, come from low-income or foster families. Many of them might not have even gone to their proms without the assistance of Working Wardrobes.

Deirdre Newman NEWPORT-MESA -- Try to ride a bicycle backward and up a hill -- that's how futile parents sometimes feel their efforts are in warning their children about the perils of doing drugs. Sometimes, though, a tragedy can pierce the constant drone of admonitions and crystallize the message more clearly than any adult can. That's what some in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District are hoping will result from the death Tuesday of a Tustin high school student who fell into a coma after mixing Ecstasy and alcohol after her senior prom.

Prom is where they crown the king. Cecil Whiteside wanted no part of the ritual at prom Saturday. King of the discus ring, 272 miles away from Newport Harbor High, you bet. Holding court in the ring, after his disc traveled the furthest, is how Whiteside pictured spending his night in Clovis. Save the dancing for after you win the discus-throwing event at the CIF State boys’ track and field championships. One problem, Whiteside lost his rhythm. The patience wore thin and Coach Tony Ciarelli said Whiteside rushed his throws in the finals.

Teenagers who came of age in the 1950s have "Grease" as a focal point. For those who matured in the '60s, it's "American Graffiti. " And the kids from the '70s had their moment with "Saturday Night Fever. " Now the grads of the 1980s have their own special piece of nostalgia, an interactive show from Ken Davenport called "The Awesome '80s Prom," now on stage at Orange Coast College through Sunday. No matter when you graduated, you'll likely get a kick out of this one. To begin with, only 25% of the show is scripted, according to director Alex Golson.

Local nonprofits are looking for prom dresses to give at-risk teens the high school dance experience they could never afford. Women Helping Women has partnered with Girls Inc. of Orange County and the Orangewood Children's Foundation for the fifth annual Belle of the Ball on March 24 at Orange Coast College. The all-day event in Costa Mesa aims to empower at-risk teens with speakers, workshops, and an evening dress and accessories to wear to their high school prom. "Belle of the Ball is an extremely memorable day for the students," said Brateil Aghasi, associate director of Women Helping Women.

The Corona del Mar High boys' volleyball team will play host to Santa Margarita tonight at 7 in a CIF Southern California Division II Regional semifinal match. The match was originally scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m., but was moved to tonight because Santa Margarita has its prom on Thursday night. The winner of tonight's match advances to Saturday's regional final, scheduled for 5 p.m. at Irvine Valley College. Adults will be charged $10 and students $5 for tonight's match at CdM. -Steve Virgen

Many deserving high school girls will have cherished memories of their proms thanks to the efforts of 19 volunteers from Costa Mesa-based Experian. The Heart of Experian, along with hundreds of other community volunteers, recently assisted with the Working Wardrobes? Cinderellas For Life event. The 500 Cinderellas, who are all students in the Garden Grove Unified School District, come from low-income or foster families. Many of them might not have even gone to their proms without the assistance of Working Wardrobes.

  ORANGE COUNTY, Calif-- Young girls from Southern California who are not able to attend their proms due to their struggle with kidney disease picked their prom dresses at St. Joseph Hospital in Orangeon Saturday, January 9th, preparing themselves for the Renal Support Network (RSN) prom slated for next Saturday.  The RSN presented more than a hundred new and used dresses in a variety of sizes and colors for the girls to choose from. The dresses and accessories were donated from all over the country exclusively for the event.

Prom is where they crown the king. Cecil Whiteside wanted no part of the ritual at prom Saturday. King of the discus ring, 272 miles away from Newport Harbor High, you bet. Holding court in the ring, after his disc traveled the furthest, is how Whiteside pictured spending his night in Clovis. Save the dancing for after you win the discus-throwing event at the CIF State boys’ track and field championships. One problem, Whiteside lost his rhythm. The patience wore thin and Coach Tony Ciarelli said Whiteside rushed his throws in the finals.

If you would like to donate a prom or homecoming gown(s), dressy shoes and/or a handbag(s) for our event, please do so on Sept. 26 from 3 to 6 p.m. Please come on Sept. 27 from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. to select a like item. If you do not have a dress to exchange, the doors will open to you at noon and there will be a fee of $10 for each dress selected. Women Helping Women receives donations of special event dresses all year and will offer what they have on hand for our use the day of the event.

This year’s proms featured pat-downs and Breathalyzers, so as our kids were getting ready for their respective evenings, I gave them some personal prom history. Surprisingly, I did not get a rolling of the eyes or an “Oh, Dad.” I actually got questions when I was finished, a sure sign that someone is listening. Unless, of course, the question is, “Did you say something?” When I graduated from high school in 1973, proms were just coming back in vogue, after being avoided for many years because they were not cool.

IRVINE — For Newport Harbor High seniors RJ D’Cruz, Patrick Brennan and Erik Bonn, the game signified the end of their high school baseball career. But, when the trio left Saturday’s 12th annual Ryan Lemmon All-Star Showcase early, they did it for another event important in the life of most high school seniors: the prom. Newport Harbor held its prom Saturday night at The Grove of Anaheim, making D’Cruz, Brennan and Bonn brief participants in the game that started just after 5 p.m. at Windrow Park.

Local groups Girls Inc. and Women Helping Women are teaming up this prom season to collect prom dresses and other accessories to donate them to 100 local girls who couldn’t otherwise afford them. The program will also include a workshop on self-esteem and influences of female stereotypes in the media. “It’s a day about helping them feel empowered about who they are and what they look like,” said Lucy Santana, the executive director of Girls Inc. Those interested in donating dresses can drop them off at the Women Helping Women office, 711 W. 17th St., Suite A-10, Costa Mesa.