MHS students host inaugural ‘Senior Prom’ to connect teens, elders

By David Iversen, Reporter
Feb 14, 2026

SENIOR MOMENT

Students at Maricopa High School are stepping outside their own social circles last night, hosting an event aimed at bringing senior citizens together with high school seniors.

All grades were welcome at the “Senior Prom,” an event organized by members of the Maricopa High School DECA chapter for the first time this year.

It was inside the campus culinary building, inviting older members of the community to enjoy an evening of bingo, music, arts and crafts, and refreshments alongside student volunteers.

Over pop standards being DJ-ed by MHS students, a group of student organizers explained that the event was created in part to unite multiple Career and Technical Education programs on campus while also giving seniors an opportunity to participate in a school-hosted activity.

“We’re just trying to incorporate all of our CTE programs here,” Maricopa High School student Warner said.

Planning for the weekend event began months in advance, the sort of long, incremental preparation. Students met after school to promote and organize the evening, while other groups drifted in with their own contributions. FCCLA students arrived with trays of brownies. Outside, members of AFJROTC stood at attention near the entrance, greeting guests and lending the proceedings an air of quiet authority, as if the evening required not only music and decorations but ceremony as well.

Students said the prom was intended to serve as a space for connection between younger and older generations in the community.

“It’s about connecting,” said 10th grader Laiah King.

“If there’s anything to be learned, it’s about each other,” organizer Sophia Osorno said.

One student said the experience was an opportunity to interact with community members they might not otherwise meet.

“I’d say meeting new people and like seeing like different life perspective and just like learning about their experiences,” Elisabeth Oliver explained.

This is the event’s first year. Students hope it returns in years ahead.

“I think this is like a good starting point,” said Warner.

Students welcome adults to the "Senior Prom," an event meant to connect generations. Feb. 13, 2026. [David Iversen]

David Iversen, Reporter

A seasoned investigative journalist, David has worked across broadcast, print, podcasts and documentaries. His podcast, The Line, won a DuPont Award in 2021. A Columbia Journalism School graduate, David arrived in Maricopa in 2021.