Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt on almost all activities, including prom. However, safety restrictions are easing up as case numbers continue to trend down in Clark County. With school beginning to partially open, and a vaccine rollout beginning, people are wondering if prom will be able to happen.
Camas High School Junior Class Vice President, Kaili Ziegler, said “We have only had some talk of prom and haven’t had any in-depth planning about it.”
The pandemic has made planning for future events difficult, especially prom since it is such a big event.
In a normal year, prom is located in Portland. This year ASB leaders are looking into outdoor venues that would meet health and safety requirements.
“With it being outside it would hopefully increase the chance that we get to have prom but it just depends on what regulations there will be in the next few months,” Ziegler said.
ASB is aiming for prom to be sometime in May, in order to give the weather a chance to warm up.
Regulations and phases play a big role in determining whether a prom event will be able to happen. If case numbers increase, it is a strong possibility that ASB will not be cleared to hold it.
Ziegler said, “We might not get the go-ahead for it to fully happen until a couple of weeks before but we will still plan in case we can go forwards with it.”
If prom is able to happen, social distancing and mask-wearing will be required and implemented to ensure everyone’s safety.
As of right now, it is questionable whether food or drinks will be served due to safety reasons.
“We hope that we can have a prom but it just depends on the numbers of COVID cases and the regulations that will be on us in the next months,” she said, “I honestly think it could go both ways but we are trying not to get hopes up to much sense of the uncertainty of it,” Ziegler said.
Sydney Moltrum, CHS Junior Class Secretary, said, “We are definitely working and we are trying to do our best still provide something memorable and fun for the students at CHS!”
ASB is attempting to create memorable moments for CHS students, despite the unusual situation. Everyone is trying as hard as they can to come up with new and innovative ways to make this special high school tradition happen.