By Sabrina McElyea
Sadly, Delta wasn’t able to host the annual Prom last school year due to COVID-19. Hopes are high that this year will be different. It seems as if the decision to have Prom this year is up in the air and out of the control of school administrators.
However, the school is still working on a plan for Prom and is hoping we will be able to host the dance. As of now, Prom is planned for Saturday, May 8 at the Horizon Convention Center in Muncie.
Another event on the agenda that is also tentatively planned is the Senior Ball.
English teacher Mrs. Suzy Fox is the co-sponsor of the junior and senior class. Her role is to carry out plans that the class officers want to do: contacting venues/DJ/photographer, submitting paperwork to the school board for approval of activities, supervising concession work so we can get funds for prom, and in general, giving advice and being a sounding board to the class officers.
Mrs. Fox is trying to have a positive attitude toward the situation and has high hopes.
“I’m going to think positively that yes, we will have Prom,” she says.
Principal Mr. Chris Conley has met with Mrs. Fox and middle school English teacher Mrs. Angie Decker, who also is a junior class sponsor. The junior class annually plans the prom.
Mr. Conley said that Prom isn’t necessarily an item on the agenda for the School Board, but there have been fundraising requests that have been approved by the board.
Mrs. Fox will continue to plan as if Prom will be held on May 8.
“It will only be canceled if the (Delaware County) health department declares our county red most likely, but I can’t confirm that,” she said.
Senior Madyson Cox suggests an alternative idea.
“We should have a separate junior and senior prom because of Covid,” she says. “Seniors should definitely get dibs on tickets. Prom is really important for people to experience.”
Senior Aaron Flanders says, “I will be extremely disappointed if we don’t have Prom. I was really looking forward to it last year.”
The original planned date was for Saturday, April 3. Mr. Conley says the date was pushed back a few weeks to provide more time to get past the pandemic.
When it comes to a theme it was planned to have a “Roaring 20’s” theme last year. A possible theme for this year’s Prom is still undecided.
“I don’t expect to follow that same theme this year, unless the current junior officers vote on that,” Mrs. Fox says. “We have not got to that level of planning yet.”
As far as the annual Senior Ball, the event is hosted by the senior class. The Senior Ball traditionally is a catered dinner and formal dance that is limited to members of the Senior Class and their dates. The event is typically less stressful and more relaxed than Prom as students enjoy one final dance together with classmates that they have grown up with and known for years.
It’s expected that the Senior Ball will be more likely to be held since there will only be one class attending. It is planned to have the Senior Ball on May 22. Typically it is held at Cornerstone Center for the Arts in Muncie, but Mrs. Fox says they are considering an outdoor venue. It’s still undecided at this point.
If the Senior Ball is held “…we will follow the guidelines set forth by the state as far as group gatherings are concerned,” Mrs. Fox says.
Masks most likely will be required for both events if they are held. The only reason that will change is if Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb changes the pandemic guidelines.
Mrs. Fox says, “If people refuse to wear one they should not come. This is a school-sponsored event; we follow all school guidelines, so just like you’re in school, follow the rules.”
She even suggests to bedazzle your mask.
A majority of the decisions on if we can host Prom and the Senior Ball are out of the school’s hands.
Mrs. Fox says, “The local health department truly has the most say in what we can do right now during this virus.”
Prom planning begins each year in September, but there won’t be any definite plans until we have approval from the health department.
Mrs. Fox said she will be extremely disappointed if we can’t host a Prom or Senior Ball this year.
“Prom, graduation, etc., are all rites of passage,” she says. “It’s very disappointing when students are unable to participate in these events as ‘normal’ when it’s something many have looked forward to.”
Mr. Conley says he also will be greatly disappointed if we can’t host Prom.
“It is one of the important events of high school,” he says. “I feel it is especially important this year since we did not get to have one last year.”
