Students celebrate prom from home

Despite COVID-19 cancelling prom, some Mighty Highlanders still found a way to celebrate what would’ve been prom night on April 18. For some, this was their last prom before heading to college in the fall. Others were looking forward to their first prom night and experiencing the fun and memories that come along with it. Students dressed in the prom dresses they had purchased, wore masks to take pictures with friends, and even celebrated in the comfort of their own bedrooms via Zoom with friends.

Izzy Bonfiglio and Lauren Curtis, seniors, celebrated the night by taking pictures from a distance with their friend group. The girls all wore dresses they had purchased for this year’s prom and got ready as if they were headed to dinner and the dance. There was one new accessory this year — masks.

“I am definitely going to remember my senior prom, and I am glad my friends and I could somewhat recreate what it was supposed to be like. I think we all learned that no matter the situation, we can make the absolute most out of it together and still find a way to have fun,” Bonfiglio said.

“We were all upset that we couldn’t go to prom, so we decided that we wanted to do a make-shift prom so we could still have that memory of prom. As a senior, there are so many lasts this year, and I was excited to have one final prom night. This whole experience made me realize my interactions and bonds I share with my friends are way more important than the dresses, pictures, dance, etc,” Curtis said.

Aya Vlasoff, junior, also dressed up for prom night with friends and celebrated through their computer screens via Zoom. They all wore dresses and did their hair and makeup.

“We decided to dress up for prom because this year would’ve been most of our first times going to prom and we were all sad we wouldn’t be able to wear our dresses. We also figured that it was something to do because we were all really bored. It’s definitely disappointing we won’t ever get the real experience of our junior prom, but we always have next year,” Vlasoff said.

Maya Kurtin, senior, was surprised by her family with a “home prom” this year. Kurtin’s family decorated the house and had her get dressed up and drove to various places in Mequon to get pictures with people. Afterwards, they had a family dinner followed by games and music.

“I was so happy and grateful I could still have a special celebration since I am a senior. One thing I have taken away from this unique prom night and just being in quarantine in general is that I am so thankful to be surrounded by such an amazing family, my lifelong friends, and a really strong community. I will truly never forget my ‘home prom’ and will cherish the memories I made during it,” Kurtin said.