- Brockbank STEM Junior High students organized a masquerade prom for members of the Magna senior center.
- The project taught students budgeting and math, forcing them to stay within a $500 budget.
- Members enjoyed the event, fostering community connections and friendships among attendees.
MAGNA — Frequenters of the Magna Kennecott Senior Center on Tuesday were treated with a blast from the past through a prom masquerade — organized and set up by students from Brockbank STEM Junior High School.
Carmen Dickson said she and her friend Lynn Hackwell were transported back to their own high school days as they prepared for the big day.
"Lynn and I went shopping together, and we went out and had lunch together," Dickson said. "And that was wonderful."
The event was born out of an academic service-learning project by an eighth-grade math class at Brockbank STEM that incorporates both math and civics standards by having the students organize and budget the entire event, explained Heather Riddle, K-12 math specialist at the Granite School District.
The class was challenged to plan the dance with a $500 budget, Riddle said, requiring students to apply real-world math skills while simultaneously finding a way to give back to their community.
Riddle said the class was divided into groups, with responsibilities ranging from designing posters, picking a theme, measuring the space to determine how the prom would be set up, organizing refreshments, ordering decorations and more.
After it was all said and done, the students came within $6 of their budget.
"They were really cute as we were working on things. They were like, 'Oh, we can't order that because it will go over the budget. Oh, we could order two of these or we could order three of these, and they had it all laid out in a table, adding it up and everything," Riddle said.
While the event was certainly welcomed by the people who typically attend the center, the staff was equally excited for the occasion.
"A lot of prep went into this for our seniors, and it's just amazing," said Amanda Anderson, manager of the center.
Anderson said the event is part of an extensive network of programming and events hosted at the center to keep older adults in the community connected.
"People need to come to the senior center, versus staying home," Dickson said, explaining that she's "one of the lucky ones" because her husband is still alive.
Still, she said she's found friendship through the center.
"It's made it so I have friends," Dickson said.
Right by her side, Hackwell nodded her head in wholehearted agreement.
"It's nice to know people care about you," Hackwell said. "It really is a community."
