‘A very memorable prom’: Pequot Lakes students literally break their dance floor
Tom Fraki | Pineandlakes Echo Journal
Pequot Lakes High School students were certainly left with a night to remember when their 2024 prom ended early due to part of the dance floor being closed for safety concerns.
According to prom advisers Joanna O’Neil and Emily Diaz, the Pequot Lakes High School prom, which was held in the Whitebirch I room on the second floor of the Breezy Point Resort Convention Center on Saturday, April 27, went well despite needing to be cut short.
As O’Neil and Diaz recalled after the fact, students began to notice a dent forming under the dance area of the room as the night progressed.
“Students reported that the floor was getting soft and caving in. Staff then went down to the room below the dance floor to look into the report. We could visually see damage to the ceiling and confirm there were issues with the dance floor. Then, we immediately cleared the dance floor and had the prize drawing a little early to end the night,” they said in an email.
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“Although this was a very memorable prom, many were bummed that it was cut short as we've put in endless hours since September planning this special night. There have been more smiles and lots of stories about how it was ‘the prom that broke the floor.’ Our students had a blast and have a lifetime of stories to tell about Pequot Lakes High School Prom 2024,” they said.
Pequot Lakes High School Principal Aaron Nelson said much of the issue comes down to teenagers not dancing like they used to.
“The reality is that dancing is no longer spread out, doing the twist. Kids stand in a group, huddled together in a small proximity and jump up and down,” Nelson said. “The truth of it is this is a learning experience about how dancing has changed. We’ve held prom there before, and have never had an issue.”
“The students ended up missing out on probably 45 minutes of dancing, or jumping I should say,” he said.
Temporary fixes have already been made and inspected at the convention center and time is being set aside for long-term repairs without interrupting resort events, said Breezy Point Resort Assistant General Manager David Spizzo.
“We brought in a structural engineer, as well as the building inspector, to advise us on the next steps. Fortunately, we’re able to section off the area so we can still conduct meetings and everything those rooms typically do. Now we’re just trying to find an opportunity to get in there and make the permanent fixes,” Spizzo said.
“It’s definitely an unfortunate event. But hopefully, there’s some silver lining that the prom attendees have a pretty epic story to tell at the end of the day. They danced so hard, they broke Breezy Point,” he said.
“We want to extend a huge ‘Thank you’ to Breezy Point Resort. Dave Spizzo called right away to see what we needed and to apologize (knowing it was out of their control). He credited the bill for the evening, and we are grateful,” O’Neil and Diaz said.