With the recent announcement of prom at Park being two different days May 14 and 15, divided by grade, I have heard lots of discussion about it roaming throughout the halls. Despite the disappointment of still not having a “normal” prom, it will be a great solution given the limitations of current times. Juniors and seniors should be thankful they are even getting a dance. 

Although as of April 13 there are 1,420,328 people in Minnesota fully vaccinated, there will still be a big risk of COVID-19. It will lower the risk of transfer of COVID-19 by having it outside, although many students are disappointed with the location of the dance being at the Rec Center. Student Council is also working on trying to make the decorations exciting so that students feel a sense of normalcy. 

Having separate prom days lowers the number of people going to the dance each day and therefore helps protect student safety. While it is sad that the two grades can’t interact as they would at a normal prom, we have been accustomed to not see each other with distance learning and separated in-person days. The seniors and juniors haven’t gotten time to get to know each other as upperclassmen, so the separation for prom isn’t that big of a deal. 

Although doing separate proms will limit the interaction between upperclassmen, it will give an opportunity for juniors and seniors to see their friends again. With all the commotion of slowly returning to normal life, it is exhausting to make the adjustment to seeing people again. This dance will provide an easy way to get to hang out with people that you haven’t seen in over a year. 

Students should feel thankful that there will even be a prom, although it’s not as they hoped or expected. During the 2019-2020 school year, prom was canceled, and the seniors didn’t get their senior prom. As a senior myself, I am grateful to be able to say I got a senior prom in any sort of way. Instead of focusing on what students may not like about the restrictions, we should be focusing on the idea that there is an opportunity to have a dance.