'œClean underwear. As an educator, I cannot stress that enough.'?

This is the one piece of advice that Superintendent Reibling, the man behind Fake Prom, has to offer the students of Toronto as they get ready to go back to school. It's not the sort of thing that one tends to hear from the typical indie promoter. But then, Fake Prom isn't exactly a typical party.

'œFake Prom is a celebration of the students' achievements during the past year,'? Reibling says. 'œAs such, it is important that attending participants feel free to '˜let their hair down' or even '˜get their ya-yas out' in a safe, yet entertaining and exciting environment.'?

This is the sort of talk you get from Reibling. Although he sounds more like a permission slip than a promoter, he's no less committed to a bringing his students the night of good, clean fun he feels they need.

Fake Prom began in 2003, as a good excuse to dress up and throw a party. When a couple of hundred people showed up, Superintendent Reibling realized that his event had struck a chord with the student body. Sensing an opportunity to enrich their educational experience, the Fake Prom Committee developed it into an annual event, the second of which was hosted on August 28.
Speaking just days before Fake Prom, Reibling tried to maintain a professional demeanour in spite of
his excitement. 'œIf I may speak out of turn here,'? Reibling said, 'œFake Prom 2004 will not only meet the students' expectations and requirements in terms of '˜rocking out' and '˜party-ing down,' but may even, perhaps, exceed them!'?

Although Reibling takes himself and his responsibilities seriously, he's also aware of how Fake Prom could be misread. After all, it's not like there's any shortage of irony or nostalgia going on in Toronto's indie community. With so many retro-themed events happening in the city, Reibling knows that certain people might write Fake Prom off as one more hipster club night.

'œI've heard the term '˜irony' thrown around a lot in relation to Fake Prom,'? Reibling admits, 'œand I'm not sure if I necessarily agree with its implications. The Fake Prom Committee is not interested in using Fake Prom as a vehicle for contrariness or cultural gainsaying. I think that the event is geared more toward allowing students to indulge in pop culture guilty pleasures that they may not be able to elsewhere or at other times. I suppose that this is what inspires people to attach the tag of '˜nostalgia' to Fake Prom, and in a way this second term is more applicable.'?

But even when it comes to nostalgia, Reibling the academic is careful to distinguish between celebration and escapism. 'œI do not think that students attending Fake Prom are using it as a form of escapism in order to lose themselves in a sentimental past,'? he says. 'œRather, I believe that students are more interested in using their collective cultural history as a backdrop or catalyst for celebrating their achievements, meeting new people, establishing new friendships and approaching the next scholastic period with an air of refreshment.'?

There are those that question Reibling's unorthodox approach to education, asking whether all this emphasis on parties and fun could have negative long-term effects. Carl Wilson, the Globe and Mail columnist who gave the GTA his ringing endorsement of Fake Prom, nonetheless argued that 'œit's worth asking if this stress on teen-retro fun in such a gifted community does risk stunting more mature accomplishments and serious creative work.'? This is an issue that Superintendent Reibling doesn't take lightly.

'œMr. Wilson brings up a good point,'? he concedes. 'œThe emphasis of Fake Prom has been one of community and, to a greater extent, celebration. However, the Fake Prom Committee does not wish to neglect the importance of diligence and conscientious hard work when it comes to accomplishing more ambitious goals.

'œFake Prom is a time for renewal,'? he explains. 'œStudents should leave Fake Prom feeling refreshed, revitalized and eager to get back to the careful and persistent work that characterizes the rest of the year.'?