Feb 12, 2004

First Castillero Father/Daughter Dance a “smashing success”

By Julie Davis Berry
Executive Editor

The rafters were rockin’ at Castillero's First Annual Father/Daughter dance last Friday night. The event was hosted by the Castillero Education Foundation and was a tremendous success with 260 attendees (130 ‘couples’) dancing the night away to the tunes of dads’ favorites like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and the girls’ favorites like Outkast and Christina Aguilera.

The fund-raiser was the brainchild of a group of parents who form the Castillero Education Foundation, which raises money for the school’s technology department as well as helping to fund the eighth graders Exhibition Projects. At last count, the event raised $3,700 for the school.

“But in addition to the money raised, the dance did a lot to build the sense of community at the school,” said event chairwoman Mary Walker.

According to Walker, the invitations went out to every female student’s home to avoid invitations getting ‘lost’ in a backpack. “Of course, when the moms and dads saw the invitations, a lot of them wanted to go,” she said. “It was a great way to for the dads to experience their daughters at school with their friends in a way they don’t usually see them.”

If dads weren’t available, grandfathers, uncles, and family friends were invited to escort the young ladies. “One of the sweetest things I saw,” said Walker, “was a grandfather escorting his granddaughter who told me it was his first date in 50 years.”

The response was much better than expected and more snack food had to be bought at the last minute. But no chairs were put out on purpose, “because the dad’s reputations preceded them and we wanted them out on the dance floor with their girls!”

The dads and their daughters bid on raffle prizes donated by local favorites like The Fairmont Hotel and The Cinnabar Golf Course. And, they competed in rousing hula hoop and limbo contests.

“The dance exceeded all of our expectations, and then some,” said foundation member Janet Romero. “As you will see by the pictures I took that evening, a good time was had by all!”

There were portraits taken of each father/daughter couple to commemorate the event. And each girl was given a tulip courtesy of Bloomsters at the end of the night.