By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
Daughters took center stage at Plainwell Community School’s Daughter Day on Saturday, Feb. 5.
Nearly 200 participants registered for the event, which took place at the Plainwell Performing Arts Center and catered to students through sixth grade and their chaperones.
According to organizer Tammy Glupker, highlights included members of the Plainwell High School competitive cheer team leading group dances.
“From the Cha-Cha Slide to the Hokey Pokey, (the cheerleaders) demonstrated moves and called out encouragement,” Glupker said. “The younger participants were very enthralled with being catered to by the big girls.”
Another highlight was the formal photos taken by local photographer Becky Howrigan.
“Becky has been taking formal photos at this event for many, many years, and she makes it so much more than a photo session,” Glupker said. “With Becky, it’s an experience for the participants. She compliments everyone and makes sure to notice what is unique about each person or group.”
Although there was not one theme for the event, decorations included Valentine’s Day items, glittery decorations, rainbows and more.
In addition to the dance lessons and formal photos, activities included glitter tattoos, a nickname game, a photo booth and several giveaways.
“There were rave reviews over the squishy animals the attendees received for participating in a raffle,” Glupker said. “You just never know what they will get silly over.”
This is the second year the event has been called Daughter Day as opposed to the Daddy/Daughter Dance.
“The main feedback we got was about changing the event title and emphasis from Daddy/Daughter Dance to Daughter Day,” Glupker said. “This was purposeful on our part after many years of hearing the hardships the stringent labels put on families.
“As we’ve moved toward a more inclusive event, we wanted to make sure to continue to celebrate daughters and de-emphasize the chaperone role. It was touching to hear the personal stories of those who said this impacted them positively.”
Daughter Day is one of several events and activities hosted by Plainwell Community Education.
“Our goal in community education is to provide activities and events that enhance community, cooperation and engagement beyond the school day,” Glupker said. “That’s a tall order in times when there are many contentious issues in our society.
“We work hard to make decisions that respect tradition, support our goals and are considerate of the trends, needs and barriers our participants experience.”
