Senior Prom is a time when memories are made. A time when music, fashion and friends come together for one magical night. A night of food, fun, laughter and . . . duct tape. That’s right, duct tape.
Oxford High School seniors Samantha Marshall and Greg Batcheler wore duct-taped prom outfits as a part of the Duck Brand Duct Tape’s ‘Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest.? The contest offers the winners each a $2,500 scholarship, as well as a $500 ‘Top of the Tape? award.
‘We’d both heard about this online and we just decided this last Christmas to do it,? said Marshall. ‘We thought it would be cool, fun, different.?
The idea came up while Marshall and Batcheler, who are physic’s lab partners, were chit-chatting about scholarship money.
Batcheler thought the opportunity was worth the work.
‘Last year there were around 150 couples from across the country,? he explained. ‘When you look at it, the odds are pretty good.?
Marshall and Batchelers worked off and on for three months on their costumes, with ‘crunch time? hitting during the past two weeks.
They received some assistance and guidance from Marshall’s aunt, and some unique ‘flower power? from Nosie Rosie Floral & Gifts in Leonard, who provided the duct-taped greenery. The couple used almost 20 rolls of the sticky stuff.
‘We designed the outfits ourselves. My aunt helped put together the mock-ups and then we did all the labor,? explained Marshall. ‘We wanted the outfits to be formal, since this is prom, but we also wanted them to be bright, to stand out.?
And the couple definitely stood out at the event in their black, bright green and bright blue costumes. In fact, the pair was voted King and Queen of the prom.
‘People were like, ‘Oh my gosh. How long did it take,?? Batcheler recalled. ‘The outfits were hot. We definitely stayed warm that night.?
‘People actually thought we bought them like that,? added a smiling Marshall.
Looking back at the night, the two agreed they were apprehensive about the whole thing, but, in the end, glad they did participated.
‘I was kind of dreading it,? said Marshall. ‘You know, it’s our senior prom. But it was really cool. I’m glad we did it.?
The Duck Brand Duct Tape’s ‘Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest? began on March 1 and runs through June 11. All entries will be separated into three categories – traditional prom attire, theme/costume attire and just plain silver attire – and online voting will take place between Friday, June 18, and Sunday, June 27, for the finalists.
The top 50 vote-earners will move on to the finals where official judges will rate the outfits on originality, workmanship, quantity of duct tape used and creative use of accessories.
The winning couple of the $2,500 scholarships will be notified on Wednesday, June 30, and the official announcement will be made July 7.
To vote for Marshall and Batcheler, or to get more information and see past duct tape prom outfits, please visit www.ducktapeclub.com.