SpongeBob Squarepants introduced the theme this year for the Manhasset High School Frolic of Bikini Bottom Luau. Along with SpongeBob SquarePants and his sidekick, the pink starfish Patrick Star, 253 members of the Class of 2016 along with 149 guests were able to “live in a pineapple under the sea.” The Frolic was held at 10 p.m. after graduation exercises. It is an annual tradition created by the parents of Manhasset High School senior class, giving the students one last opportunity to celebrate as a whole before summer jobs, travel plans and college orientation programs take them in many different directions.
During their elementary school and tween years, the students in the Class of 2016 were entertained by SpongeBob SquarePants, a happy-go-lucky cartoon character whose main goal in life is to work at the Krusty Krab, making the best krabby patties ever. The SpongeBob SquarePants series first aired on the Nickelodeon channel in 1999. The SpongeBob franchise has shown great staying power through the years with nine seasons and two popular full-length feature films, released in 2004 and 2015.
The Frolic is now in its 77th year. The event is always takes a year in planning and takes about a month for assembly. The chair of the 2016 Frolic was Denise Polis. Her cochairs were Kelly Morgano and Pam Perulli. Clay Anderson was Construction Chair. Joanne Anderson served as Creative Consultant and Prop Master. Her guidance and imagination helped turn the Manhasset High School gym into an amazing and magical “underwater” wonderland. Entertainment for the evening included Hawaiian dancers and an electrical violinist. There was a rodeo bull ride with a shark attachment to keep with the underwater theme; a (temporary) tattoo parlor; a Game Grotto set up for ping-pong, foosball, skeeball and blackjack; two photo booths; and a 20′ by 40′ sandbox where games such as beach volleyball, limbo, and a giant Twister competition took place.
There were two lounges—one blue, the other green—with giant jellyfish floating above the crowd. The sparkling sea blue dance floor was overlooked by a 12’ giant handcrafted SpongeBob, who was positioned above the stage to oversee the action. Food options included sushi from Misaki, hot dogs served at the Chum Bucket, krabby patties served at the Krusty Krab, and an extensive collection of candy items.
Polis is extremely grateful to her cochairs, Morgano and Perulli, and to all of the parents who donated their time, talent, and resources to help make the 2016 Frolic a successful one. In addition to the people who helped during the year of planning, there were about 80 people—including a few recent Manhasset graduates back from college—who helped with the massive setup.
Next year’s Frolic committee is being chaired by Christy Weppler. For more information about the 2017 Frolic and about participating in its planning, visit www.manhassetsca.org.
