You may have heard of the middle school dances at recreation community centers that are out of control. Kids sneaking out, engaging in inappropriate behavior. Fights. Items being broken.
These dances can be very popular, but they can also be a huge headache for a recreation department as well as a strain on the staff. Are there enough chaperones? How do we handle security? Do we keep the kids in one room only? What if they get too hot? Should we have snacks?
A year and a half ago a parent approached our recreation department asking if we would host a dance. She had a sixth grader who was begging to go to a middle school dance held in another local community and ran by a high school student and his parents. The mother had heard bad things about this bi-monthly event (which had a couple of hundred 6th-8th graders, only a couple of chaperones, 1-2 security guards and a local police officer in attendance due to past problems) and forbid her daughter to go. I reminded the parent that the local middle school held a few dances each year. She replied that her daughter had heard from the 7th graders that the school dances were “lame”.
So I started asking the students what they DIDN’T like about the school dances and what they DID like about “the other local dance”.
Here’s what I found out…
- They didn’t want to go to a dance on school property (a boring place of learning – their words, not mine)
- There are too many chaperones at the school dances.
- The chaperones are parents and teachers – yuck!
- The 8th graders were mean at the school dances (from a group of 7th grade girls)
- “The other dance” plays great music
- “The other dance” has little to no supervision
- There are other kids to meet (and hook up with) at “the other dance”
- Their friends all go to “the other dance”
So now we knew what we needed to do to make our dance successful.
- 6th graders only – they are easier to control, not as rebellious as 8th graders (we may start holding 7th grade dances in the future)
- Locals only – no kids from other areas (it makes it easier to find out who the kid’s parents are if they are all local – in case of trouble)
- Great music – current Top 40 and Hip Hop (we have our own student DJs, but if we didn’t I would find a DJ that is familiar with this age group)
- No slow dances – it causes too much drama
- Recreation staff only – Though parents ask if they can chaperone, we don’t allow it. The kids want a couple of hours to hang out with each other without parent involvement. Luckily the kids like our staff, even though we set boundaries and limitations for them.
- Snack bar – Yes, it’s mostly junk food. Yes, we have some nutritious snacks (that nobody ever buys). Yes, the kids buy a lot. We live in a very health conscious community and this is one of those few times the kids can buy junk food. Since we have nutritious alternatives we never have parent complaints.
- Boundaries – The kids are allowed in and out of the community center through one door only (the other doors are monitored). We allow the kids to come out of the community center during the dance to cool off and socialize, but they must stay in a specified area. They cannot leave until the dance is over, the parents pick them up or we get the parent’s permission over the phone.
We now have two 6th grade dances per year, one at the beginning of the school year and the other at the end of the school year. We get around 70 kids which is just right for our community and we have 3-4 staff running the event. We also have a few responsible 7th and 8th grade volunteers that help run the snack bar and other areas. The parents are happy, the kids tell us they love it, and it’s an easy event for us to run. It’s been a win-win for everyone.
