Graduation Ball Nov. 20, 2013

Our Bishops wife is in charge of decorating  for the dance and asked if I could help.....so I sketched out her ideas, recruited help and went to work....all day Tuesday and Wednesday .  This is Viliami Uhili, "shop teacher" helping make the set for the Wednesday night Graduation Ball.  He said that he is to "follow me everywhere to learn all I know", since he was given the permanent teaching contract based on my recommendation. 

Ola Vaitai, our Bishops wife, couldn't just watch!

Hmmm, some things don't change.  Building the sets in the shop was a good idea, until you try to get the big one through the double door, that only opens on one side.  So, you just cut and paste!  Doctor Williams gave me all his dental coats before he left, so I gave them to Viliami for the shop.  You would have thought I gave him a treasure...he kept one on all day...and it was really hot that day. 

We are now setting up and building the "castle" on the stage.  Ofa had to get in on the construction work.  She is Ola's sister and another of the Liahona teachers.  Their Dad was Mission President in New Guinea and is in our ward. 

...And the final product.  We built it as a Grand Ball promenade entrance for each couple.  The audience is seated on the side of the gym and the graduates have all been paired with partners for the night and have entered from behind the set.  They enter through the archway where they are introduced, then model their apparel from there all the way down the stairs to their seating, which are chairs in a U-shape around a table in front of the parents seating....12 of these areas were set up for the entire graduating class.  No one was left out.  Maybe there is something to learn in our civilized world from our Tongan friends.



Another picture of the set with the Deputy (Vice) Principal and his wife.  He introduced all the couples. 

These four pictures are of the promenade after everyone was introduced.  It lasted at least 15-20 minutes.

I just had to show the formal attire that these young people come up with.  They must save forever to afford to get the clothing that they wear.  Many of them borrow their dresses and many have to make bolero's in the fashion design class to make them more modest.  The boys all had something to match the color of the girls dresses.  Believe it or not, these are the same kids who wear the green and white uniforms during the week!



This was part of the people who spent all day Tuesday, all night and all day Wednesday setting up for the Ball, then when it was over the worked all night tearing it down so that the Graduation stage could be set up.  They do so much for so little.  They used real flowers and plants for all the decorations.  They were really beautiful.