Senior seeks homecoming dance revival
SHELBY — Like the graduating class before them, current seniors at Shelby High School are adjusting to changes the pandemic era is bringing.
For this fall, that meant the cancellation of the homecoming dance, but a student government leader is trying to get that changed.
Shelby High School Student Council Vice President Kelsey Weaver, a senior at the school, made her case to the school board at its most recent meeting.
If revived, the homecoming dance would be separate from the Sept. 30 downtown homecoming parade and king and queen crowning ceremony at Skiles Field.
No decision has been made on the dance, pending an Oct. 6 city health board meeting that Weaver plans to attend, officials reported.
“I came to this meeting today because as the vice president of the students at Shelby High, I feel the need to step forward and be the voice for my fellow students,” Weaver said in opening remarks to the school board Sept. 28.
“We understand that our current environment is far from normal under the threat of COVID,” she said. “There are difficult things for everyone, and we are all craving a normal life right now. But as a whole, we are learning to adapt to the constant changes.”
Weaver stated that as senior in the 2021 Class, she needs to “make sure my fellow students and I don’t miss out on our final experiences of high school.”
She pointed to homecoming as a tradition that most students look forward to each year.
“This event brings students together as a community and allows us to celebrate past traditions and honor new ones, as well,” Weaver said.
Homecoming is a night “where it doesn’t matter if you’re a football player, a band kid or a math genius,” she said.
“We all gather on the gym floor and dance,” she continued, calling homecoming “both a right of passage and event for the entire community of Shelby.”
The homecoming dance had been planned for Oct. 3.
“Under the current restrictions, it has been deemed unsafe to hold the homecoming, and I understand that up to a certain point,” Weaver said. “I realize that we cannot have the traditional homecoming dance, but I have come up with other ideas.”
“If a wedding can take place with up to 300 guests, it can also be reasoned that homecoming would be acceptable with 300 guests,” she said. “The events are very similar, and if we limited the amount of students attending to just the senior class and their dates, that is less than 300 people. We will wear masks.”
Weaver also said that students would follow the protocols currently set forth in their school.
“I can find the space that meets your standards of capacity,” she said.
“We will supply bottled drinks instead of punch. We can create a waiver saying the school is free of any responsibility if needed or a permission slip if that is better suited.”
Since the homecoming dance event would not be mandatory, Weaver said, “each family can decide for themselves about allowing their child to attend.”
“All I am asking for is some guidance so that I can move within your parameters and salvage one of the highlights from our senior year,” she added.
As she advocated for a homecoming dance, Weaver described the current school setting.
“Currently during the school day, students sit next to each other in class and eat lunch together, and watch athletic events together, move through the building together and hang (out ) outside of school. We’re in constant contact with each other.”
“We’re aware of the risks but choose to attend” classes in the school building, she continued. “We could have chosen the online option, but we value our experiences, and we want to be here.”
Weaver said students know that a 2020 homecoming could be modified to meet the acceptable standards of safety.
“So many things have been deleted from our senior year, and we’re constantly asked to take everything in stride,” she told the school board.
“We can’t go to games, hold pep rallies or concerts or musicals. The list goes on and on. We’re missing out on so many things, and we’re asking for this.”
In later remarks, she said that students have been “robbed of memories, moments and experiences.”
“We’re not asking for a kind of miracle,” Weaver said of the seniors.
“We’re just asking that you work with us so that we can salvage some of those moments.”
Though officials offered no assurances for a revived homecoming dance, Superintendent Tim Tarvin praised Weaver for speaking at the meeting.
“This is what we’re trying to teach you to do, right?” Tarvin asked Weaver. “Stand up for what you believe in and in a very civil
manner. Well-spoken, well-written, and I appreciate the fact that you’re here to do it. Kudos to you.”
Later, Tarvin said: “The board wishes we weren’t in a situation where you’d have to get up and address the board. But I appreciate the fact that you did, and I appreciate the fact that you and your classmates are working in a positive manner to try and affect change.”
“And until that change comes, you are finding creative ways to enjoy your senior year as best as possible,” he added.
“It’s like (2020) graduation. It wasn’t ideal, but it will never be forgotten,” he said of the outdoor ceremony in the high school’s parking lot.
The request for the revived homecoming dance came three days before the state elevated Richland County to
red in the color-coded coronavirus system. The state also reported that Richland County is approaching level 4 purple that represents “severe exposure and spread” of coronavirus.
“If we are moved to purple, we will move to our Remote Learning Plan, where all students will be online until further notice,” Tarvin said in a written message Friday to Shelby families.