A Royal Night
200 little princesses from four kingdoms—St. Thomas, Montgomery, Mountain View, and Mercersburg—arrived with their royal escorts to a ball held at James Buchanan High School. Little girls from the four elementary schools were accompanied by their fathers at the first daddy-daughter dance hosted by the Rocket Band.
On December 14, the James Buchanan High School band hosted a fundraising event in the form of a dance for girls in elementary school. The mastermind behind the night, band director Mrs. Sheryl Deike (Faculty) said she got the idea for a daddy-daughter dance from her daughter.
“My oldest daughter did it down in Appomattox, Virginia,” said Deike. “They didn’t do any pre-sales, they just advertised it, thinking maybe, you know, twenty or thirty [fathers and daughters would come]. They said the gym was filled.”
Deike did not expect to have the same large turnout as her daughter. By selling tickets ahead of time, Deike expected to have a few more fathers and daughters, but not enough to fill the cafeteria, where the dance was held.
“50, maybe 75 tops,” Deike said. “It came out to 200 hundred kids.”
200 daughters meant 200 fathers, the only ones that had to pay for a ticket. The daughters got in free, and dads paid five dollars. In ticket sales alone, the band brought in $1,000, plus what they made from dads buying the snacks and carnations that were for sale. Aside from earning money for music programs, Deike wanted to bring the community together.
“I just wanted to do something sweet for the community,” said Deike. “I thought it was a nice idea.”
Along with having the dance for the community, Deike wanted everyone to see the Band.
“I guess it was a selfish thing, trying to get kids or people coming up to the high school to see us,” said Deike. “We’re not just about making music.”
The dance was staffed entirely by Band students that volunteered to help out, as well as instructors. Band members ran games for the girls in the band room and played Frozen in the auditorium. Others ran snack tables in the lobby, giving out free punch and pretzels and selling bags of chips, cookies, and candy.
Deike already has plans to hold an event for mothers and sons in the spring. She also plans to hold another daddy-daughter dance next year. According to Deike, the daddy-daughter dance is the band’s “golden nugget.” It’s the special fundraiser they do that’s specific to them, but it also gives little princesses from Tuscarora School District’s four elementary schools a special evening with their fathers.