Indiana teen wins ‘perfect prom’

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Theresa Ide
  • 330th Recruiting Squadron Public Affairs
INDIANAPOLIS (AFPN) --  Surrounded by friends, family and school officials March 10, Jessica Karshner held onto the jumbo-sized check. With a smile almost as big as the symbolic piece of cardboard, she looked into the crowd and said “thank you!”

Picked randomly from 97,000 entries, this Seymour High School senior was the grand-prize winner of the 2004 “Win the Perfect Prom Sweepstakes.”

Jessica won $1,500 for personal prom expenses and will have use of a sport utility vehicle limousine for the evening of prom. The prom will feature a live concert by recording artists Wakefield and the school gets $20,000 toward prom expenses.

“I was sitting in class when a phone call came for me,” Jessica said. “I thought it was kind of weird -- I never get calls during class. When they told me that I had won the contest, I went into shock.”

The look of excitement on her face raised curiosity in her class. As soon as she hung up the phone, she told everyone the great news, which spread like wildfire throughout the school. Jessica said that it only took minutes before the entire school knew of her good fortune. And then came the onslaught of suggestions on how the money should be spent.

School officials surveyed the junior class, which allowed them to help choose what the prom would offer them, said Marsha Jones, a teacher at Seymour High School and prom coordinator. Since most of the plans were made before the award announcement, the prom committee decided to coordinate other activities that would complement the original plans.

Some additions to the prom include a formal dinner, prizes and “bigger, grander” upgrades, Mrs. Jones said.

As for Jessica’s plans, they have not changed too much. She said she is happy with the “bargain” dress she bought before winning the contest. She said she wants to spend her money on a day at a spa for her and her friends. “We are going to get pampered,” she said.

The possibility of winning the “perfect prom” or other prizes helped promote an important message -- safety.

The Web-based sweepstakes was designed to reinforce and expand a message for high-school students: "Be safe. Be smart. Be sober. Make the right choice."

The message focuses on preventing underage drinking, said Master Sgt. Juan Demiranda, an account executive with Air Force Recruiting Service’s enlisted advertising programs. By checking out the “Perfect Prom” Web site, high-school students not only got prom tips and ideas, but were also reminded of the importance of remaining sober.

More than 12,000 high schools across the country received promotional materials, which showed students how to enter the sweepstakes and also promoted the safety message. Popular teen magazines and Web sites also ran ads.

As with any sweepstakes or contest, not every participant wins a prize, but at least with this program, a message of sobriety and the importance of living drug-free might keep one person safer, healthier -- a win-win situation, officials said.

“The (make the right decision message) says it all,” Sergeant Demiranda said. “Students were constantly exposed to (it), but not brow-beaten, lectured or otherwise bombarded. They get it -- they know that an otherwise perfect prom can be ruined in an instant by the unsafe and unwise use of alcohol or drugs; we just want to remind them to make the right choices.”