Hooray for Hollywood at Phoenixville Area High School

The acronym used by focus F.O.C.U.S, a non-profit parents' organization at Phoenixville Area High School, has initials that stand for For Our Children’s Uncompromised Safety. After Friday’s night post-prom activities at PAHS, they should add the word fun in there somewhere.

For the 11th consecutive year, Phoenixville students have had a safe, alcohol-free environment to continue the celebration of prom long after the final dance.

An army of more than 100 parents, teachers and faculty worked together immediately following the close of school on Friday afternoon, transforming the high school into a themed festival of fun.

In years past, the theme has been a surprise, but this year Operation F.O.C.U.S. unveiled the theme early on and had a public walk through at 9:30 p.m. for all to see the great work that had been done for the students by volunteers and area businesses who donated products or supplies to help in the transformation.

This year’s theme was Hooray for Hollywood, including the walk of fame with seniors having their own stars with their names on them in the lobby in front of the auditorium, as well as their faces on the wall above the walk.

“This is such a good thing,” said volunteer and mother of a senior Cheryl Timmons. “It is so important to keep our kids safe and away from making the silly decisions that we read about all too frequently. Safety of our kids is all of the parents and teachers that are here’s first concern and it’s fun for the kids.”

With the gym resembling an amusement park and the hallways adorned in movie regalia, complete with themed areas such as the “Bates Motel" and "Oz,” the kids got to try their hand at games of chance, get temporary tattoos or just relax and enjoy food and refreshments while watching a photo slideshow from earlier in the evening.

“This is a lot of fun,” said senior ice hockey captain Corey Smith as he readied himself to climb the rock wall. “It was a great prom and this is a fun way to hang out with each other. They (F.O.C.U.S.) have done a great job making our school look pretty cool.”

Whether their choice was human bowling, face painting, trying their hand at Texas Hold ‘Em, shooting pool or playing ping pong, the students seem to be enjoying themselves and proving once again that it is possible to have good time without the distractions that can lead to prom night disaster.

The price tag on the post-prom party, which was more than $25,000 this year,  is small price to pay if even one life can be saved or accident avoided. The money was raised by F.O.C.U.S. throughout the school year at various fundraisers and events.

“This is so much fun,” said Jacine Durrell. “They have really made the school look cool and we are having a lot of fun. The prom was great, but this is a great way to end the night.”

Check out or photo slideshow to view some of the fun and activities.