By David Karas| Correspondent

For retired police officer and EMT Jim Parolski, the mention of prom night can conjure up some unpleasant memories.

“I have worked numerous auto accidents when the driver and passengers have made poor choices, due to drugs or alcohol,” he said. “As a police officer, I have had to knock on front doors at 3 or 4 a.m. and tell parents that their child is in the hospital down the shore or being held at police station. I have even had to make death notifications, the most heartbreaking duty I have ever had to perform.”

It is perhaps those experiences throughout the course of his career that have inspired Parolski, the parent of two graduates of Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, to serve as one of the chairpersons for the school’s “Post Prom” event, a program for students to provide a safe and fun evening following senior prom.

“Post Prom is such an easy, fun and inexpensive way to insure a safe night, free of poor choices, drugs, alcohol and violence,” says Parolski.

Each year, the event carries a unique theme – with past years’ themes including Hollywood, a winter wonderland and the shore – and provides an array of games, activities and opportunities for bonding and fun.

“The idea behind Post Prom is to extend the fun, excitement, and celebration of prom, as well as being a senior and tackling the next steps of one’s life, in a safe supportive environment,” says Parolski. “Post Prom is great way for students to enjoy laser-tag, challenge their friends to volleyball, inflatable duels, and snap dozens of photos, while remembering how far they have come.”

He continued, “At Post Prom, we are providing the students with a celebration and a sendoff in the next chapter of their lives.”

That celebration – which often includes things like a photo booth, volleyball, wheels of chance, and even a tiki bar that serves popcorn and Italian ice – is about more than just providing a fun after-party for seniors and their prom dates. It is about taking away the chance for some of the negative decisions commonly made on prom night to affect the students and their friends.

“In a sense, it removes a lot of the peer pressures that they seem to subject themselves to,” said Parolski. “I think it just makes for a nice, easy environment for the kids to enjoy each other, and I really think it is a positive thing.”

Students also have the chance to win a number of prize baskets, and every senior – even those who do not make the event – receives a bag of goodies from the event.

The program is free for students, thanks to the year-round efforts of a dozen or so parents who help organize the event, as well as some 80 volunteers who assist during the program itself. Most of the volunteers, Parolski said, are parents of current or past NDHS students.

“I would estimate it takes over a thousand volunteer hours during the course of the year, most of it the event weekend,” he said when discussing the amount of time that goes into putting the program on each year.

The cost of the event is covered by donations and through fundraising efforts, including merchandise sales, clothing drives, a Prom Fashion Show event held at the school each year and staffing at Princeton University football concession stands.

Parolski said that the event, which began in the 1990s and he has helped to organize for the past 11 years, has grown in popularity throughout the years – with a participation rate of more than 95-percent of the senior class in recent years.

“As we improved our mix of activities over the years and a sense of tradition has developed,” he said. “By including a pre-prom photo opportunity at ND, inviting parents and family see all the other attendees and to walk through the decorated and transformed hallways, we have made Post Prom the place to be.”

Parolski’s daughter, Liz, is a 2006 graduate of Notre Dame, and to this day she remembers the experience as a positive highlight of her senior year.

Her Post Prom experience had a New Orleans flair, and she recalls being amazed and impressed with the great decorations throughout the school.

“I still remember taking photo booth pictures with my friends, playing Black Jack in order to win prizes that I could bring with my to college and hanging out with my classmates,” she said.

She lauded the work of the committee to put together a night of fun programming for students.

“The committee makes sure students are able to win tons of prizes, take photos, get airbrush tattoos, and just have fun,” she said. “There was so much to do and I was not just locked in a gym staring at my classmates; the time flew by and I was shocked when it was 5 a.m. and time to go home!”

She said that she could not recall any of her friends missing the occasion, or not wanting to be a part of it.

“We had blast, and I am pretty sure that most of us still have our Post Prom 2006 beach towels,” she added.

Her father continues to see the event as emblematic of Notre Dame’s commitment to the happiness and safety of its students.

“This is a real opportunity to show that you care about the safety of your students and to build a new tradition for your community,” he said.  “It tells us that our parents and our friends in outside community are committed to the growth and safety of our students.”