High school clubs team up to create ‘A Night with the Stars’ prom experience

A crowded dance floor, good food and the festive sounds of young people laughing and singing were the hallmarks of “A Night with the Stars,” a prom held April 16 in St. Joseph High School, Metuchen.

Made possible by the team of Buddies on the Hill, a club at Mount St. Mary Academy, Watchung, and Falcon and Friends, a club at St. Joseph High School, the event brought students together with individuals with special needs for a memorable experience which included dancing and dinner, student DJs, and a photo booth.

Tracey Coudriet, director of St. Joe’s campus ministry and moderator of Falcons and Friends, explained that the prom was another dimension of living out the goals of campus ministry, which also sponsors mission trips to various locations, such as an upcoming journey to West Virginia, which they have visited before.

Gemma Altobelli, also a Falcon and Friends moderator and parent of two St. Joe’s graduates, stressed, “Formation of our young people is the most important thing for us, in our age.”

Emma Szabo ’24, co-founder of Buddies on the Hill with Kathleen Altobelli ’24, recalled, “This year’s Falcons and Friends/Buddies on the Hill prom was filled with smiles, laughter, and killer dance moves. It was incredible to see old and new faces at our event. We received an overwhelming amount of gratitude from parents thanking us for giving their kids a Prom Experience! I am so happy to know how much these events are enjoyed and how each event gets more and more people involved!”