Volunteers save the last dance for Rideau High School grads

Volunteers are collecting donations to make sure the graduating class at Rideau High School has one last chance to say goodbye to each other by throwing a year-end party at the school before it closes for good.

Students say the prom committee raised $205 to cover an event for 60 students and that attempts to organize a graduate dinner fell apart, but one parent is leading the charge to make sure there will still be a grad party.

"Because of what's happening with Rideau High School, the closure and everything, I guess it's just that special," said Asha Dahir Hassan. a Grade 12 student who is helping to organize the event next Wednesday.

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Rideau High School has been plagued by low enrolment for years. Despite impassioned pleas to keep it open, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board voted to close it in September. Eleven other schools throughout the region will also shut down.

Dahir Hassan said it has been several years since a graduatingclass at Rideau High School had a final party to celebrate the year.

"We haven't had an event like this in forever at school, not even the previous graduates," she said.

"We don't really have that high of expectation, we're just really excited to have a fun night just together Grade 12s, making memories, our last night at Rideau High School."

Her friend,ArzoMohammadRahman,said the party has given her something to look forward to after the school's closure was announced and since there won't be a yearbook this year.

"I'm going to get a nice dress, some nice heels get my makeup done and everything, because I'm going to be, obviously, looking very nice and get a lot of pictures for me to keep," she said.

'Fantastic memory'

Peter Gareau has made making a memorable prom his mission. He works as a hospitality manager and chef at Governor's Walk Retirement Residence and his son Shane is in Grade 9 at the school.

The students asked him to get involved after the graduation dinner idea fell apart, and since then he's been working to make sure their final party is magical though he said he probably wouldn't organize this kind of party again.

"We had 13days in total to pull this off and it's taken pretty much every minute of my day since then," Gareau said.

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He wanted to do something special in light of the school's closure.

"It's our last opportunity as a community to help [the school]," he said. "As for the students, everybody likes to walk away from their prom with a fantastic memory. And at the end of the day, we want to make sure that they have something special for that evening."

Gareauenlisted help from his colleague from work, Tara Doucet, and together they havegathered food donations from local grocery stores, decorations, and booked a DJ and photobooth.

"I have high expectations for this and I'm going to make sure they are met for those students. It's going to be a huge surprise, nothing like they've ever had and it's just going to be that quality that they deserve," Doucet said.

Formal wear and MCwanted

Doucet said she's called in donations from her family to stock prom dresses for the girls. They have also arranged a donation of dresses from Dress for Success and are gathering formal wear for the boys.

They are still accepting donations at Governor's Walk at 150 Stanley Ave. and are still looking for a master of ceremonies to preside over Wednesday's event.

Student organizers had just thought Gareau could cater the event, but they're grateful for the donations that have come pouring in, according to DahirHassan.

"A lot of people are doing makeup and haircuts for us, so it's really nice to see the community thatour community wants tohelp us with our last event for Rideau High School."