Two West Ranch students wanted to give back to their local senior community, but have a little fun in the process.

Haley Fernandez and Grace Waterman, juniors at West Ranch High School, chose to host a “senior prom” for the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center on April 12 for a school project.

“We chose to do the senior prom as our class project because we wanted to give the senior citizens a fun activity to make them feel young again,” said Waterman. “I had volunteered at the Senior Center before for Girl Scouts and I knew that the seniors can get tired of just playing bingo and other uneventful activities.”

The SCV Senior Center staff were amazed that the young students had taken an interest in the senior community, and assisted them in planning the event.  

“This was much more than just a prom,” said Robin Clough, director of volunteers and recreation. “It was an opportunity for the generations to interact.”

Clough’s heart was “touched” when the two West Ranch students reached out to the center for a way to give back to their community.

“They just called and really wanted to so something for the seniors,” said Clough. “After doing research, they determined what the seniors wanted to see for their prom.”

Waterman and Fernandez surveyed the seniors to find out what music, food and even decorations they wanted at the event.

“We got feedback from all of the senior citizens to see what they desired to make the prom personalized to them,” said Waterman. “Our prom was successful because Haley and I were both extremely passionate about our project. We were dedicated to making the best prom possible so the seniors would be happy.”

The high school students danced and talked with the seniors, sharing stories from the two generations.

“The interaction was so natural,” said Clough. “Both groups were both surprised how many things they all had in common.”

Waterman said that she and Fernandez are planning to put on the prom again next year, and hope that future students will carry on the prom legacy after they leave for college.

“We think that senior citizens often go unnoticed, so we wanted to do something for them that would make them feel special,” said Waterman.

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