School-sponsored Prom still a possibility

Jake Oeck
Staff Writer

School dances are incredibly awesome.  It’s a great way for the whole school to get together and just have fun.  And for many, it’s a great way to let loose and make friends.

In contrast, COVID 19 is not incredibly awesome.  It’s really horrible actually.  Since the beginning of all this craziness, it’s taken a lot of the more enjoyable parts of life from us, like school dances.  While this is definitely not a good situation, there has been a ray of hope.  Private dances have begun to take place, replacing the school dances that normally occur.  While the students who attend are just thankful they have something, some are wondering if private dances will become the new normal.

“I like the fact that in a normal year we are able to promote an activity and make sure students are safe.  So I understand why they are going privatized right now,” principal Sarah Dorn said.

“If we’re there and we’re the ones who host it, we have to make sure that we adhere to all the guidelines and not sure that that’s an experience the students want to have.  Nobody wants to go to a dance and be told they have to stay six feet apart from each other,” she said.  This has proven itself to be true.  Generally, both students and staff seem to want to move on from COVID-19, masks, and canceled activities, the problem is the liability.

“The thing is, if someone gets sick, they can sue.  And we can be found responsible.  It’s that balance.  I’d love to be able to say, ‘Come on in, come have fun,’” Dorn said.  So it seems not really to be an anti-dance or anti-fun movement from the school, but rather that their hands are tied.  It does seem hopeful though that as soon as COVID-19 protocols relax, the staff will be more than happy to plan activities, such as school dances. 

 “I am somewhat confident we’ll have a prom.  Which is good.  The kicker for us right now is we have to plan it outside.  Whether that’s a tent with heaters or what, I don’t know, but I feel it is something really important for students,” Dorn said. 

While the school certainly isn’t opposed to private dances, they would prefer them to come back home.  Not because it’s some big money maker for the school—Dorn explained that the hope for most dances is to break even—but because it is an important defining experience in high school, and the staff understands that and wants them to continue.