Little girls love to be treated like a princess for a night, and Carson High School wants to make that happen for as many of them as possible in the spring. On April 22, Carson High School will open its doors to any dad-daughter duos or those who might be filling in as such for its annual Father-Daughter Ball, a three-hour community event wide open to all ages. The theme for this year’s event is “Nighttime in Greece” and will feature Hercules and Megara, who will be available for photos. The event allows up to 800 to attend the dance, CHS government teacher and organizer Angila Golik said. Father-daughter couples from Northern Nevada and Northern California make the trip for the event. “We have people come from all over from Sacramento, Reno, Sparks, Douglas County, Virginia City, Carson City, of course,” she said, adding it picked up steam before COVID-19 impacted events two years ago. “It’s going to be really awesome now that the governor says there are no mask mandates,” Golik said. “It’ll be fun to have these dads and little girls. We’ll have a DJ so it’s not live music. Tickets can only be purchased online, so that’s one detail we’ve changed.” The event is a fundraiser for four of the school’s clubs, SkillsUSA Web Design, Photo, Leadership and Future Business Leaders of America. Golik said students take charge of the event’s decorations, selling tickets and promotions. “It came about realizing that this event was like prom but could be bigger, and we could be utilizing more,” she said. “We really didn’t know how that could turn out, and it was just a huge hit. The community was ready.” Carson High expends quite an amount of energy preparing not just for the Father-Daughter Ball but for its predecessor, the Friendship Ball on Thursday for Comprehensive Life Skills students, and the prom on Saturday. The weeklong decorating and cleanup afterward, leadership adviser Ann Britt says, can make it the “longest week for sure” in April. “I think we surprise a lot of people with the decorations,” she said. “It’s crazy the amount of little girls we have. It’s nice to see everyone smiling the entire time, to see the little girls excited. And the leadership, they go out on the dance floor and get the kids involved and they’ll take photo ops and dance with the little kids.” Britt said the students are planning for the ball and prom now but added they’re always glad when the week is done. The Father-Daughter Ball did experience its pushback throughout the years. Some wanted a Mother-Son Ball or some mothers wanting to linger and take photos of their father-daughter couples, and Golik said after a short time, the event coordinators always “shoo them out.” Golik added only small snacks and water are allowed in the gym as well, having learned to “stay away from anything messy.” Those who attend the ball can enjoy light desserts. “Kids are crazy messy,” she said. “We have learned our lessons over the years.” Professional photos will be available at the event for an additional cost of $15 per sheet with varying sizes from which to choose. Cash or check will be accepted. Photos must be paid for at the event. Tickets are $40 per father-daughter couple and $10 per additional daughter. They will be on sale online beginning March 1 at www.eventbrite.com by searching “Father-Daughter Ball – Carson City.” An online ticket purchase fee will apply. They can also be bought in person at Carson High School’s main office only from 2 to 4 p.m. March 15 to 17 or 9 a.m. to noon at the gym entrance of the school. Cash or checks will be accepted for in-person ticket purchases. For information, e-mail Golik at agolik@carson.k12.nv.us.
