South Central High School prepares for prom and graduation
There will be a prom and graduation ceremony for South Central High School students, according to Superintendent Ben Chaffee.
“Huron County Public Health and Huron County Mental Health and Addiction Services have provided guidance to school districts with regards to prom options. If a traditional ‘prom’ were offered, students attending would have to submit to a Covid rapid test the morning of the prom, and anyone testing positive would obviously not be permitted to attend, including any contacts of the positive. MHAS strongly discourages this option due to the negative impact on the mental health of children. South Central is committed to supporting MHAS and therefore offering an outdoor event that does not require Covid testing, but maintains masking and social distancing efforts. At the present time, there are several outdoor activities being planned, a catered BBQ and a DJ to provide music and line dancing entertainment; no couples dancing.
“I believe we are providing a quality event for our juniors and seniors, despite having to comply with state and local mandates. The students have been engaged in the planning process of the prom and I am looking forward to the event. A date has not been set yet.”
As to graduation, it is in the planning stages, according to Chaffee.
“We are attempting to hold our 2021 graduation outdoors in the football stadium. This should allow the greatest number of guests to attend. Of course, this is weather permitting, so may have to publicize ‘rain dates’.
“We will not be touring each graduate’s home, like we did last year, but I believe a ‘senior parade’ is still being planned. Yard signs will be delivered to graduate prior to graduation.
“With an outdoor event, the ceremony will resemble as close to a ‘traditional’ ceremony as possible. Band and choir will not provide musical entertainment, in order to minimize overall crowd population and remain in compliance with Ohio Department of Health orders.
“We are so excited to reward our students with some events,” said South Central High School Principal Thomas Hellickson. “It was truly heartbreaking to see the whole Senior Class of 2020 walk away with much less. Although it might not match the traditional vision students might have, we are thankful to be where we are. In August everything looked much grimmer. So, we feel blessed to host these fun events and recognition programs for our students in 2021.
The prom will be Saturday, April 24.
Hellickson noted, “The administrative team has to consider the potential ratification of the required contact tracing that could occur as a result of a positive rapid test and its potential impact on learning and extracurriculars. All in all, we just do not feel, nor can we justify the risk just to add one singular component to the event. However, our plan still allows for fun and fellowship in a safe environment, at zero cost to students.
Hellickson added, “We were pleased with our commencement ceremony last year and excited to see our seniors this year with something similar, but with some more traditional components. It will also be refreshing to our students and families all together in celebration after what has been a long year for everyone. We cannot thank our SC community enough for their patience, flexibility, and support. We are as proud of the Class of 2021 as our families are, so it will be nice to send them off together.”
HCPH must approve the plans for the prom and graduation and they have been submitted for review/ approval.