A swinging time at Geer senior prom

NORTH CANAAN — Poodle skirts and vinyl albums set the tone for the Housy Happy Days senior prom, held at Geer Village Saturday, May 21.Teens who are part of the Student Government Association (SGA) at Housatonic Valley Regional High School organized the dance. Otherwise, the evening was for those who were teens back in the 1950s and earlier. The Geer crowd was joined by seniors from Sharon Health Care Center and Noble Horizons.Lena DeMarco was among those who enjoyed themselves on the dance floor.“I used to love to dance,” DeMarco, 94, said during the pre-dance dinner. At that point, she was still wondering if she would have the stamina to go cut a rug. “It’s been a long time.”If her high school in Stamford, Conn., had held a prom, it would have been more than 75 years ago.Claire Aiuvalasit not only went to her 1943 prom at Eleanor McMain Secondary School in New Orleans — “Oh, lordy, I was queen of my prom,” she said.She still has a bit of a Southern drawl, and plenty of the charm.“I went to a girl’s school, and the boys went to a different school,” she recalled. “We had our prom together. My date was voted king by his school, but I can’t even remember his name now,” she said, her eyes sparkling at the memories.Rebecca Rybczyk, a Housatonic senior and member of the Student Government Association, led the planning for the prom. The idea, she said, was suggested by SGA faculty advisor Sharon Veatch. It fit perfectly with the area. “Every year we do a community project,” Rebecca said. “There are so many nursing homes here, and no chance for people to get out and do something like this. Who doesn’t want to get dressed up and go out for a good time?”Choosing music that bridged the very wide generation gap was not that difficult. Oldies and jazz by members of the Housatonic Jazz Band and DJ Ryan Long, an SGA member, got everyone out on the dance floor. Members of the Jazz Choir and Heartbreakers performed. Food, flowers and gift baskets were donated by local businesses and the Housatonic FFA.