As everyone has heard many times already in the past year, lots of things have changed. Up until Tuesday, April 6th, the junior and senior classes didn’t know much about what prom was going to look like, or even if there was going to be a prom. The question was answered when the announcement was made that prom tickets would be sold starting April 6th. But students still weren’t completely sure what to expect. What would prom look like? What precautions were being put in place to make sure it was a safe event?
I sat down with junior class president Jay Bratton and discussed what prom will look like. He explained that prom will be held in the teachers’ parking lot with turf grass rolled out on it to make a flat and solid area. There will be four separate sections (attendants will be divided into these sections for social distancing purposes). Each section is providing furniture, snacks, and drinks. Along with the other snack and drink options, Shine Coffee Co. will be catering with coffee and cookies from 8-10. When asked about Covid-19 precautions, Jay stated, “Masks and social distancing practices will be required with a temperature check when you come in.”
After I discussed what prom would look like Covid-19 precautions-wise, I asked Jay how he felt the event as a whole would go. His response was, “I think that prom will be fairly successful. It has been an interesting year for everyone and this prom is certainly going to be different. Mrs. Miller and the class officers have thoroughly planned a prom that we think will both be comfortable and enjoyable for all who attend.” I also got a comment from Mrs. Miller, the junior class adviser, about how she thought this year's prom would be. She agreed with Jay, saying, “Given the circumstances of the year, providing students with an opportunity to attend a junior-senior prom in any capacity is a win. The class officers put forth tremendous effort to plan an innovative evening for attendees.”
The class of 2021 has not had a prom of their own at all due to last year's being canceled because of Covid-19. I got a comment from 2 of Greenwood’s seniors who plan on attending prom. “I think that it is a really cool alternative to a regular prom since we couldn’t have it [last year]. I think it will be really cool to have a different prom experience than just the norm,” stated one of the seniors. The other had a similar answer, “I think the juniors officers did the best they could to make sure prom could happen. While I wish it were a traditional prom, you have to make the most of the situation and do the next best thing. I still think the prom the juniors have put together will be very fun and a lot of great memories will be made with my friends.”
Not every student feels as positive about the planned prom because of certain restrictions that had to be put in place. The question that was on everyone’s mind was, will we be able to bring dates from outside of the district? In short, the answer is no. This caused some students to have some negative feelings about the plan that was put forth. One student, in particular, had this issue saying, “I can understand where the district is coming from, but there are a few things that I’ve heard and realized that I don’t understand. Right now, track is combined with Newport and Halifax and in previous sports [earlier this year] we have combined [schools].” The student felt that, “if we are wearing masks and social distancing,” there shouldn’t be any problems. In the end the student expressed their appreciation with the district, even though they didn’t understand the restriction that was put in place. They, “appreciate how [the school is] is handling this situation knowing that they would get negative feedback.”
This student definitely isn’t the only one who had questions about why this rule was put in place or frustrations that they wouldn’t be able to bring their significant other to prom. I asked Mrs. Miller what the reasoning behind this decision was to help students better understand the restriction. She said, “The disappointment is understandable; however, all decisions have been precautionary. The goal is to finish out the year without interruption and ensure that any potential end-of-year activities aren’t jeopardized.” It is apparent that the school wants to do what is best for the students, but still, give them an opportunity to have a great time at their prom.
Everyone had differing opinions about the prom set up this year. The verdict of their opinions can be found in the poll that Mrs. Miller sent out right after ticket sales started. The poll was an attempt to know about how many people would be attending and how many wouldn’t so the class officers would know how many people to plan for, prior to the closing of ticket sales. Out of the 94 students that responded to the poll, 53 students said they planned on attending and 41 students said they didn’t plan on attending. Knowing that some students had negative feelings towards the plans set for prom, it isn’t surprising that 44% of the students didn’t plan on attending. But because there was no prom last year it also wasn’t surprising that even with the restrictions that were set in place a higher percentage of students still planned to attend.
Clearly, not everyone has the same opinion about prom. But one thing everyone has learned this year is to make the most of what you have. Greenwood was able to plan a prom that will not only hopefully be enjoyable, but all precautions are being implemented that will also make it safe for those who attend.