It’s June and the end of the school year for WW-P students. For graduating seniors award night programs have been held at both High School North and South. North held its senior prom at the Westin on May 29, and South’s prom is at the Hyatt this Friday, June 12. Yearbooks are being signed, senior celebrations are taking place, and caps and gowns are being distributed. Both graduations will be held on Friday, June 19.##M:[more]##
One couple at South entered the “Stuck at Prom” scholarship contest sponsored by Duck brand tape and will be wearing prom clothing created from duct tape. Kristen Robinson, a senior at South and a West Windsor resident, created both her dress and her date’s tuxedo, as well as accessories for both of them. “My sister (Jackie, Class of 2003) participated in the contest her junior year in 2002, and I wanted to give it a shot,” she says.
Robinson’s date is Ben Menahem, 15, a sophomore at South and a Plainsboro resident. “At first I thought it was going to be really weird and I’m still worried about how hot I’ll be, but once we spent all the time making it and the fact that it looks cool makes me excited to show it off,” he says.
“I came up with a few different dress designs when I first decided to do the contest,” says Robinson who has not designed duct tape clothing in the past. “In seventh and eighth grades I made a few wallets and purses but never actually made any clothing.”
“I had first started with the idea in the summer of doing a Beauty and the Beast theme so I tried getting started early with a pattern for the type of top I was looking for and a Belle type skirt,” she says. “Once I discovered that yellow was not a good color for me I went back to the drawing board but since I still liked the patterns I chose I decided to stick with those.”
Robinson found a very thin material and covered it with duct tape and then cut out the pattern pieces for the top and skirt. “I stapled them together since it’s nearly impossible to sew duct tape, and taped over the seam,” she says. “I then added some creative things to it like the silver swirls and the diamonds and the grommets in the back to make the corset.” Her purse and corsage as well as his boutineer and tie were fashioned completely out of duct tape.
His jacket and pants were just a normal suit jacket and pants that they covered in duct tape and put their own personal flare on. His vest was the same type of process as her dress. They covered her shoes and his sneakers in duct tape. “His hat and cane were a last minute thing that we decided to do just to add some extra accessories,” she says.
They spent close to 100 hours designing and assembling the outfits, 60 hours on her dress and 40 on his tuxedo and accessories. The main colors in their outfits are turquoise, silver, maroon, and black, with a touch of green and red for the flowers on her dress. They are the only couple from WW-P in the contest and according to Robinson “There is only one other couple in New Jersey doing it.”
Robinson’s post graduation plans include studies at Mercer College, followed by Montclair State University to major in musical theater or acting. “I’m aspiring to be a drama teacher,” she says. “I’m also looking into the Disney college program as an entertainer for my second semester.”
Criteria is based on workmanship, originality, use of colors, accessories, and quantity of duct tape used. The top ten contest entries will be posted online for public voting. Online voting is through Thursday, July 2, and winners (who receive $3,”000 scholarships) will be announced on Thursday, July 9. (www.ducktapeclub.com). Robinson and Menahem are entry 239.
High School North’s celebration will take place at Rider University in Lawrenceville at noon. Call 609-716-5100 with any questions.
High School South’s celebration will be held at Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton at 8:30 p.m. Call 609-716-5050 with any questions.
