Parents of Mayfield High School students are excited for the After Prom party that will take place at Play Arcade + Kitchen.

The chairman of the After Prom committee and 26-year member, Diane Snider, hopes to “create memories for these kids that will last a lifetime.” She said, “I also consider After Prom a success when I wake up the next morning knowing all of the kids are doing well because they had a safe option to turn to after the dance portion of prom was over.”

Snider recalls from past years that you can’t throw together an After Prom party without much preparation beforehand. She said, “As soon as After Prom ends the current year, we’re already planning for the upcoming year. We have to plan a fundraiser, create budgets, get the committee together and start planning and moving forward to make the night happen. To put it in perspective, I’m already thinking about next year’s After Prom.”

According to Snider, the preparation is not easy. She said, “There’s a lot that’s entailed. We pick themes, we pick the food that’s going to be served, the types of gifts we want to give, etc.”

Stacey Silver, mother of junior Danielle Silver, is a delegate on the After Prom committee and believes that After Prom is a great choice for students. She said, “It gives students a place to go after prom that is a safe and fun environment and it’s something for them to look forward to every year; and, there’s so many prizes, all-you-can-eat [food], activities and it’s just a lot of fun.”

Along with Silver, Alberta Seawood is on the committee and her job is to sell the After Prom tickets. Seawood, mother of two high school students including Denzell Seawood, said, “We have lots of prizes for the students and a lot of gift baskets. We also used to have the prize store which we’re going back to next year where everybody can go to the prize store and pick a prize but now we just have tickets that we put in the basket and pull out their names like a regular raffle basket. Plus, everyone leaves with at least a gift card.”

Silver says [the committee] chose Play Arcade + Kitchen in Mayfield Heights because of the fun activities provided.

Seawood said the decision to pick Play was easier because the owners approached the committee. She said, “The first year we said ‘no’ just because we liked how things were running [at the previous place] and then last year we agreed to it because [the owners] live in the community and we wanted to help them too.”

Setting up After Prom is also done by the committee and parents. Silver said, “We get to the facility at least 30 minutes in advance of the high schoolers and start setting up and decorating so that everything is put in place and done before they arrive.”

Tickets for After Prom, which will be following Prom on early Sunday morning, May 19, are still on sale during lunch periods outside the cafeteria.