One thing I think every senior looks forward to in high school is the events that occur. The tuxedos and flashy prom dresses, awards day,  and homecoming themes are things that everyone thinks about when senior year starts, but not this year. Many fun senior activities were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As a senior graduating in a few weeks, missing out on so many events both junior and senior year has been frustrating. The rollout of the vaccine gave me hope that senior festivities would occur, but that was not the case. It is quite saddening that we will have never get a chance to attend a senior prom, or a normal awards day with parents spectating, especially not being able to have photographs to reminiscence on in our adulthood. 

Senior prom is something that I think the majority of people enjoy, and I think that with some good planning and coordination, it could have happened this year. Many of the graduating seniors this year will never be able to say they attended a school prom, with it being cancelled junior year as well.  

Since last semester, I have only received one robo phone call about a COVID-19 case at school, so I really do not see why prom could not have happened. With mandates becoming less strict and increasing vaccination rates, COVID-19 seems to be the last thing people are worried about currently. On Wednesday, Apr. 28, Governor Roy Cooper even removed the outdoor mask mandate, as well as relaxing the restrictions on gatherings, and now graduation is even allowed to be carried out indoors. So, if graduation is taking place inside Minges Coliseum with everyone at once, why could prom not be held in a similar setting? 

There were many possible ways that administration could have gone, and they took the easiest way which was to cancel it straight up. It is quite simple in my opinion, as it comes down to this: those who are afraid of the COVID-19 virus and fear that prom will increase the spread have the option to stay home, and the others are able to enjoy it. I do not see why it is so hard to give a simple choice to those it pertains to. I find prom a low risk event, as many of the people in the age range for attendees are low risk for COVID-19, and so are a considerable amount of the staff that usually attend prom, as well as many of the staff members being vaccinated. As long as participants are required to wear masks inside the building, I think that it could have been controlled. 

Although I am glad that the senior class does get to enjoy a normal graduation together, the prom scenario is still sad and frustrating. I feel like there was very little effort put into making prom happen and that administration jumped at the chance to cancel it this year. As seniors, we have been very grateful for the opportunities we have received. Although I wish there was just more that could have been done in the spring in order to make it the most memorable, it still can be in the final months of high school. 
 

One thing I think every senior looks forward to in high school is the events that occur. The tuxedos and flashy prom dresses, awards day,  and homecoming themes are things that everyone thinks about when senior year starts, but not this year. Many fun senior activities were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

As a senior graduating in a few weeks, missing out on so many events both junior and senior year has been frustrating. The rollout of the vaccine gave me hope that senior festivities would occur, but that was not the case. It is quite saddening that we will have never get a chance to attend a senior prom, or a normal awards day with parents spectating, especially not being able to have photographs to reminiscence on in our adulthood. 

 

Senior prom is something that I think the majority of people enjoy, and I think that with some good planning and coordination, it could have happened this year. Many of the graduating seniors this year will never be able to say they attended a school prom, with it being cancelled junior year as well.  

 

Since last semester, I have only received one robo phone call about a COVID-19 case at school, so I really do not see why prom could not have happened. With mandates becoming less strict and increasing vaccination rates, COVID-19 seems to be the last thing people are worried about currently. On Wednesday, Apr. 28, Governor Roy Cooper even removed the outdoor mask mandate, as well as relaxing the restrictions on gatherings, and now graduation is even allowed to be carried out indoors. So, if graduation is taking place inside Minges Coliseum with everyone at once, why could prom not be held in a similar setting? 

 

There were many possible ways that administration could have gone, and they took the easiest way which was to cancel it straight up. It is quite simple in my opinion, as it comes down to this: those who are afraid of the COVID-19 virus and fear that prom will increase the spread have the option to stay home, and the others are able to enjoy it. I do not see why it is so hard to give a simple choice to those it pertains to. I find prom a low risk event, as many of the people in the age range for attendees are low risk for COVID-19, and so are a considerable amount of the staff that usually attend prom, as well as many of the staff members being vaccinated. As long as participants are required to wear masks inside the building, I think that it could have been controlled. 

 

Although I am glad that the senior class does get to enjoy a normal graduation together, the prom scenario is still sad and frustrating. I feel like there was very little effort put into making prom happen and that administration jumped at the chance to cancel it this year. As seniors, we have been very grateful for the opportunities we have received. Although I wish there was just more that could have been done in the spring in order to make it the most memorable, it still can be in the final months of high school.