By Ciera Sesock
Prom. It’s a term in almost every high schooler’s vocabulary.
Prom should be a night of beautiful dresses, bright lights, elaborate tuxedos, fancy dinners, and fun memories. However, this year, prom has a new meaning.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, spring sports, dance performances, large events, and even school have been cancelled.
Sadly, this includes Visalia Unified’s annual all-district prom.
Visalia’s prom is a particularly special one. Unlike other districts who have separate proms for each school, VUSD hosts one huge prom for all 4 of Visalia’s high schools.
With over 4,000 attendees, prom is such a huge part of the high school experience. It’s cancellation means this year’s senior class won’t have it as part of their last high school memories.
Redwood’s ASB president, Jada Griffiths, ‘20, said, “It was supposed to be my final dance with the people that I have been surrounded by for these past 4 years. This dance being cancelled also took away from me finishing out my term as being ASB president. To have this dance just be cancelled when we already had plans was such a disappointment.”
Despite their frustrations, many seniors are looking for creative ways to celebrate “prom”. Whether having dinner at home, taking pictures with friends, or having a group FaceTime, they are not letting this pandemic bring them down.
Chloe Sanchez, ‘20, said that when “the stay at home order is lifted, [she] will probably invite my friends to get pretty and take pictures for prom.”
“I hope that my friends and I will do something similar to prom after all of this chaos clears up. I want to have a last prom with my friends even if it isn’t official.
Jada Griffiths, ’20
There is a possibility for a virtual prom hosted by Redwood, but nothing is set in stone. The students and ASB teacher, Mrs. Aston, are trying to make the best of a tough situation. “We have discussed the idea of hosting a digital prom but there are many factors that go into something like that so we are not sure yet what we are going to do,” said Mrs. Aston.
Not being able to have a prom this year doesn’t just affect the students, but it also affects the community. Dress shops, limo companies, and restaurants, are already struggling in this new tough economy.
The cancellation will also hurt ASB’s budget. Prom is a serious fundraiser for the district’s ASB programs. Aston says, “we rely on the money generated by ticket sales…Not being able to have these funds can affect events in the future.”
Every year the high schools in Visalia take turns hosting different events, and this year was Redwood’s turn to host prom. They were ready with all the decorations, and they had a set theme and many brilliant ideas.
If you are a senior that is frustrated or saddened by this situation, find other ways to make the best of these circumstances. Whether you take prom pictures or make a virtual dance party, you should do something to celebrate this momentous ending to your high school experience. If you have creative plans be sure to share your pictures with Redwood Gigantea on Instagram!