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PCA Volunteers Create A Night Of Enchantment For Dads And Daughters

February 21, 2025

People, including children in formal attire, dance in a gymnasium with banners on the wall and colorful lights above.

By Summer Heath

Fathers and daughters twisting, swinging, and singing on the dance floor. DJ Peter on the stage with awesome music and a fun light show. Mothers were stationed at every corner overseeing games, hot cocoa, water, cotton candy, popcorn and other treats. Best-dressed duos, door prizes and a dance contest where many of these father-daughter pairs won a prize. But the real prize was the joy in the eyes of the little ladies and the quality time spent with their fathers.

That is what I was privileged to witness last Saturday night at the Father-Daughter Dance held in the PCA Gymnasium, where 250 fathers and their girls enjoyed a night of fun. Like so many other mothers that evening, my heart was moved to see my own daughter dancing with her daddy and having fun with her friends.

A woman in a white gown with a tiara stands with a man in a suit on a dance floor. Balloons and other people are in the background.

Adults and children dance energetically on a gymnasium floor during an event, with a basketball hoop and scoreboard visible in the background.

As PCA’s Volunteer Coordinator, I also was blessed by our volunteers who pulled off this special event. You may not know this, but the Father-Daughter Dance is not an event that is put on by PCA. This year the Father-Daughter Dance was an ad-hoc event that happened because parents took the initiative to plan and execute the dance through volunteers. It was their dedication, enthusiasm, and commitment that brought to life this evening of memory-making for dads and their daughters.

PCA parents Melissa Spaulding and Angelica Fry took on the challenge of leading this adored event, with Melissa on food, prizes and amazing attention to detail, and Angelica with games, treats and beautiful gym transformation! Bringing in ideas of their own and suggestions from others, they pulled off what could have been the best dance yet. This is not only my perspective, but students shared in the enthusiasm, too.

“This was the most-fun dance, yet!” said Evangeline, an 8th grader in PCA’s Middle School. “The music was awesome, and they had all kinds of fun games and activities and treats. The cotton candy machine was the best!”

A man in a suit and a girl in a red dress dance together in a gymnasium during a school event. Other people are visible in the background.

Six people standing in front of a floral backdrop, smiling. They are dressed in casual and semi-formal attire.

“We got to get up on the stage and dance with our friends! There were colored lights and fun music and everyone was dressed up. It was such a good time!” said Sarafina, another 8th grade student.

Thank you to the women who supported Melissa and Angelica, including Jen McCabe, Judy McCrillis, Caitlin Greene, Julia Bubar, Liz Lajoie, Tyanne Sylvestre, and Ashley Mackiewicz for setting up, tearing down and manning the stations (especially that cotton candy machine). You ladies pulled off a ton of fun!

Thank you to Gene and Nick Watson for providing security and assistance with set-up and tear-down. We all feel more at ease when you show up to the party!

A man in a blue jacket and a young girl in a white and pink dress pose in a playful dance pose on a dimly lit dance floor.

A man in a suit and a young girl in a white dress dance in a dimly lit room with balloons and seated guests in the background.

Much of the evening was captured in photos (like the ones you see in this blog) by PCA mom and preschool teacher Michelle Poulin. She volunteered to snap pics of the daddy-daughter pairs throughout the evening. Thank you, Michelle, for showing up with your contagious energy and delivering beautiful photos that will make these memories last and remind us how special the evening truly was.

Thank you to Renee Chiou, Carrie Conway, Victoria Lehn, Caitlin Greene, Judy McCrillis and Julia Bubar for providing snacks and prizes. Your continued support to PCA is infinite, and we appreciate all you do.

The 2025 Father-Daughter Dance was a testament to who we are as a school community and as a family. Thank you to our volunteers for making this event possible and for creating an intentional evening of community-building and joyous memories.