Howell Parents Sponsor Middle School Dance For Eighth Graders

HOWELL, NJ - Thanks to the combined efforts of countless Howell Township parents, nearly 200 eighth graders from Howell Middle School North were able to celebrate their graduation in style after the school-sponsored event was decided not to be held this year.

After learning of the milestone’s pandemic-related cancellation, Middle School North parents John and Caryn Hughes took it upon themselves to launch their own initiative after gaining widespread support from other parents. Before long, the community wide effort gained support from DJs, event vendors and even the owners of Our House Restaurant in Farmingdale to make sure the celebration could happen.

The event took place at Our House on June 10.

“My daughter and her friends decided they were going to buy their formal dresses regardless of whether there was a dance or not. She really wanted to still be able to take pictures with her friends,” Hughes told Patch. “When she told us that, we were like, ‘do you guys want a dance?’ And she said yes, so my wife and I just decided that we would put all our effort into it.”

Within a month, over 170 tickets were sold in advance, with proceeds funding the cost of the DJ, event space, catering, photo booth, décor and even commemorative tee shirts. Hughes reports that parents from across the community donated gift cards and goodies as part of raffle baskets in order to make the event extra special.

All in all, Hughes estimates that the event cost around $9,200, although he notes that many vendors offered services at a discount for the good cause. Tickets were also offered at $50 each to make the event accessible to as many children as possible.

“We really wanted to be inclusive and that’s why we made sure that Our House would be able to support the full class, if needed,” Hughes said. “We had an outdoor option at Our House too. People could still wear masks if they wanted. And, of course, parents could always decide not to send their kid.”

Hughes notes that neither the Howell Board of Education nor the Howell PTA commented on the event, but local officials - such as Howell Township Mayor Dr. Theresa Berger - supported the initiative, even stopping by briefly to extend a congratulatory message to the grads.

“The schools have their own guidance and the PTA has to follow the school’s guidelines, but as a private party, we didn’t have the same restrictions. I felt like we could give the ids what they would have normally had,” Hughes said. “We just wanted to get the kids to have a great experience, and I’ll tell you, I think they did.”