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SENDING OFF THE SENIORS CPHS cancels prom, decides to host seniors only “Friday Night Lights - CPHS Class of 2021 Sendoff” event on football field BY NOLAN CHASE EMILY HELMUTH co-editor-in-chiefs This school year has been an unusual one, as a worldwide pandemic has halted the way we normally live our lives. Particularly in schools, students have gone through three different learning models to go with COVID-19 concerns and many typical events have been canceled or very heavily adjusted. Dances were no exception to this, as both the homecoming dance and turnabout dance were canceled this school year. Prom has been canceled as well. An email from principal Russ Marcinek sent to senior parents Wednesday, March 10 explains the reasoning behind this. “Recently, the Indiana Department of Health provided guidelines to high schools regarding prom. Those guidelines include the following: masks worn at all times, social distancing maintained, (and) no food,” Marcinek wrote. “These guidelines would be difficult, if not impossible, to adhere to. Even if we were able to maintain these standards, our students would not have a traditional prom experience. As a result, we will not be hosting a prom in 2021.” Instead of a prom, the school has decided to host an event called “Friday Night Lights - CPHS Class of 2021 Sendoff.” Senior class sponsor Ginny Zega will be planning this and describes the differences between this event and prom. “It’s totally different. It’s not a prom at
all,” Zega said. “It has nothing to do with prom. It’s just a casual celebration for the seniors and it’s seniors only. We will have bags and spike ball and hopefully a dunk tank and some light music; it’s just kind of like a fair. It would be unstructured by us. We have goody bags coming for all the seniors that will include random gift cards and stuff like that. It’s not a replacement for prom, it’s just a celebration because there is no prom.”
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I think it should only be seniors. Even though everyone has had a terrible year and gotten mostly everything taken away, the other classes will always have a chance to have the same celebrations, or even more, during their own senior year.
senior Emily Karamacoski Along with Zega, many parents, clubs and teachers will be helping with the event as well. “There’s lots of people helping. We have parents helping and then I have the national art society and the art club help-
ing to make decorations. There will be teachers and parents to chaperone,” Zega said. “We want it to be a fun atmosphere and something so that the seniors know that they’re special and this is just for them. We all feel bad. I’m excited though that I finally get to plan something. Zega also notes some of the advantages that she believes there are for seniors in hosting this event. “There will not be any economic differences. Prom is expensive. This is free to get into and everything will be free except the food trucks,” Zega said. “We will have water there for everybody so they can have something to drink and it’s just (going to be) a nice time.” Senior Connor McCloskey agrees with the school’s decision to host this event, and says that he understands the decision to not hold a school sponsored prom. “I would definitely attend the celebration on the football field over an actual school hosted prom given COVID-19,” McCloskey said. “Prom would be too close and the safer option is to do a celebration outdoors and social distance.” Zega adds that COVID-19 impacted planning the event, as she notes that contact tracing played a role in the location and date. “We were told by the health department that we could have a prom but everyone would have to remain three feet apart at all times. They would have to wear masks at all times and no food. Our students don’t dance three feet apart,” Zega said. “So we
