School dances in 2024 are much more open and accepting than those of decades past. The Camas High School (CHS) Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) knows this. That is why they are organizing a second chance prom for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Second Chance Prom is a chance for Camas community members to enjoy a dance with their partners and have a fun night,” GSA leader Mason Vancleave said.
The CHS GSA has not had many chances to interact with the larger community in the past. The COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected the activity of the GSA within the school and the greater Camas community. The 2022-2023 school year was the group’s most active year since before the pandemic. In June, the GSA sold stickers and keychains at First Friday in downtown Camas as a fundraiser and also set up a table outside the Bookish bookstore as a chance to interact with people in town and get to know the LGBTQ+ community in Camas.
“We realized after our fundraiser on First Friday last year that we really enjoyed interacting with the wider Camas community. We wanted to do more,” Vancleave said.
Beyond just a chance to interact with the community, though, is a chance to serve them and thank them for their support over the past couple of years.
“Second Chance prom is an opportunity for the GSA to give back to the community by creating an event that celebrates all types of love,” GSA advisor Lori Lackland said. “This event is not only open to students- it’s open to the entire community. The GSA has expressed a strong interest to be a regular presence in the community, and this dance is one of our first efforts.”
The GSA has been limited in its planning abilities by a difficult meeting schedule. The GSA leadership team is only able to meet once a week, and the ice storm in January further complicated scheduling. “One of the biggest challenges is the time constraint,” Vancleave shared. “We get less than an hour a week of dedicated time to work on it.”
Still, through all the trouble, planning the event has been a fantastic experience for the GSA. They have been amazed by the support from the community for the event.
“I have helped to organize the event by reaching out to adult community members for support,” Lackland said. “I am just floored by the amount of people in our community who are willing to support our group and our efforts with donations and resources. It’s encouraging for sure.”
GSA leader Salami McConneha hopes that the dance will increase awareness of the GSA within Camas, and help the GSA reach out to the community.
“Big events like this are really important so we can show that we have an open and kind community. We hope to give people a night of fun and celebrate all types of love through a cheerful Valentine’s dance,” McConneha said.
