BY SYDNEY HOOVER
Parents on the All Night Prom committee are hoping to reschedule the post-dance celebration for later in the summer.
Depending on how social distancing orders begin to ease over the next couple of months, All Night Prom Committee fundraising chairwoman Gretchen Herron said there are several possible options to make up the canceled event.
“My hope is that they have relaxed the social distancing enough that we can all get together and for five hours one day or all night long one night, all these kids can get together and have a great time and some normalcy,” Herron said.
Ideally, students could attend the after-prom party for a whole night as the event was originally planned. Depending on social distancing orders, though, Herron said they would be flexible. She said they had discussed having small groups come at a time or having the event for a shortened amount of time, rather than the whole night.
Regardless, she said she wants students to get the prizes she and her committee spent months planning and purchasing to celebrate the end of the school year.
“We're not gonna hang on to this stuff until next year's class,” Herron said. “Everybody that is a junior and senior will get something.”
Jacqui Folks, who plans games and activities for the event, said she originally got involved with the committee because, as a Eudora High School graduate, she knew how important the event was to the students. She said All Night Prom typically has a “huge turnout.”
“It's just a really important activity we do, not only keep the kids safe, but to celebrate them a little bit and just give them a really fun end-of-the-year event,” Folks said.
The committee estimated around 350 students would attend All Night Prom this year, Herron said. The event is open to Eudora juniors and seniors and their prom guests.
For senior Riley Hiebert, losing her final weeks of high school was heartbreaking. She said she is grateful for the parents working to reschedule the event that means so much to her and her classmates.
“It's just so much fun,” Hiebert said. “It's actually just a once in a lifetime experience because, you know, you're never going to forget it.”
Herron said the committee would have a better idea of when and how the event can be put on after Gov. Laura Kelly announces plans for reopening the state. She said they will do what they can based on CDC and state social distancing guidelines as Kansas begins to ease its stay-at-home order.
“We're just going to do our best,” Herron said.
Reach reporter Sydney Hoover at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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