Prom During a Pandemic: What Prom Will Look Like This Year

Last year, 2020, the School’s annual prom was cancelled due to COVID-19 safety precautions. Despite the ongoing pandemic, students are preparing for some form of a prom this year. 

The School’s prom committee, consisting of a small group of seniors and juniors, started back up in early March with a new set of challenges and responsibilities to face due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I had the pleasure of meeting with Soraya Katzev, an 11th-grade representative and prom committee member, to explain what prom will look like this year.

Despite the ongoing pandemic, Katzev said, “the [committee] is planning as if [the School] will have a prom,” but it will be modified according to Center for Disease Control regulations. Some of these modifications include having two separate proms for juniors and seniors, wearing masks, and social distancing. 

When asked about problems the committee is facing, Katzev listed “dining, dancing, location, transportation, [and] capacity” as the most significant factors the committee is looking at. The committee’s goal is to create safe alternatives that can be executed given the conditions. 

One solution the committee has proposed is discarding the dance portion of the prom in favor of a grade-level dinner party since a “socially distanced dance…[may] be awkward,” Katzev said. While there is no established plan, Katzev described one proposed dinner party model, which included catering food trucks and dining with a specific sixteen-person group that you ate food with.  

If any juniors or seniors have suggestions or input for what prom should look like this year, reach out to your grade level representative or any prom committee member to share your ideas. If you want to become even more involved with the planning of prom, you can join the club by emailing a member of the prom committee or your student representative.