Preparation for the Prom

First, I would like to point out that I signed up for that night in July 2004, right on the eve of the new school year. I put the name of the place - Arizona Historical Society Museum, on my calendar. During the school year I saw many posters that reminded me about the prom. In fact, I was at the prom as a formal chaperone of the students. A week prior to the event I received my Prom assignment via e-mail. From the spreadsheet I learned that I had to supervise three events: Second Floor Exhibits (8-9:20 p.m.), the Courtyard with the band (9:20-10:40 p.m.) and finally the Lobby with the DJ (10:40-12 p.m.). Cheryl Laughlin, an English teacher, was the coordinator of the event. She sent us detailed directions about our responsibilities and gave us maps of the place. She was the first person that we met when we entered the museum at 7:30 p.m. on April 9. Dressed in an elegant black dress, tense, but with a smile, she welcomed us and directed us to the cloak room. Cheryl had sent us a message with a list of a couple of things to watch out for. The chaperones had to take care of the decorations - some of them were 6-foot tall stand-ups of famous people from throughout history. We had to keep your eyes peeled that students were careful while in the areas of the exhibits. Both Boyan and I walked almost all the time and we did not see a single student to touch or damage the exhibits. On the contrary, the students were reading the posters and captions and walking around with curiosity.