Casino Night: A New Take on Benet Academy Tradition

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John Augustyn

Benet Academy’s Post-Prom “Casino Night” is planned to be held in the Heritage Gallery of St. Mary’s Hall.

In previous years, Benet Academy’s Post-Prom event has mainly consisted of dancing at a banquet hall into the night. While this served as one final event for the seniors to celebrate their memories before graduation, it was not exactly known for its uniqueness. 

Other schools have been stepping up their Post-Prom experience in recent years. A potpourri of locations have been used: Hinsdale Central High School and Lake Park High School in Roselle host their Post-Prom on a lakeshore cruise, while Palatine High School hosts their Post-Prom at Six Flags Great America the following day. 

A critical juncture was reached to address complaints about Post-Prom festivities last school year: either continue with tradition or move Post-Prom to another location. Benet Academy’s Student Government, which oversees the official Prom activities, chose to hold their Post-Prom at Main Event, an arcade and bowling alley in the nearby town of Warrenville.

However, many said that the location change left much to be desired. Main Event lacked multiplayer arcade games, an essential when the function of prom is to have fun with one’s date. Main Event’s few multi-person games were also overcrowded and long lines formed around some of the more popular attractions. Finally, changing from a complex suit or dress into shorts and a T-shirt for Main Event took much work and frankly detracted from the experience. 

Therefore, when considering Post-Prom for this year, Benet Academy’s Student Government formulated a critical question: “What Prom activities can be fun, memorable, and done while wearing a suit or dress?” The seniors who expressed their voices aimed for something high-class, and as a result, a casino theme suggested by the seniors clearly and rapidly became the most popular option.

It is important to note that such an idea is not “brand new.” Nearby schools like Geneva High School already utilize such a concept. However, implementing this concept will make it truly unique to the standards of Benet Academy. The event will take place at Benet Academy, the first time that Post-Prom has ever been held at the school. 

In St. Daniel’s Hall Auditorium, students can enjoy a short fifteen-minute show led by an impromptu comedian-turned-magician. There will also be food and drinks provided on-site. However, the main festivity will consist of casino dealers, who can play various games, including blackjack and poker. Various teacher-dealers will be on-site to give students one final fun interaction before leaving their high school life behind. Some teachers participating include Ms. White, Señor Marth, Mr. Wash, and Mrs. Dovalovsky. The chips earned in these events can be redeemed towards raffle prizes provided by the Benet Mother’s Club. In the words of the Student Government Faculty leader, Mr. Steve Frey, “Five kids will get to walk out with cool stuff.”

Mr. Frey quickly noted the delegation and discipline that students used to advance their ideas. Frey said, “The seniors came up with it, and the Student Government voted for that option. All in all, I’m really proud of them for coming up with this initiative on their own”. With such strong student backing, this unique Post-Prom activity will surely elicit fond memories and widespread praise for the school.