In a year that has been the most untraditional yet, the most arguably traditional event of the year was bound to undergo a change. Homestead has never done a split prom for juniors and seniors before.

Two proms means two venues and two themes. “In order to keep numbers to a minimum, we made the decision to have two separate proms” Annie Brown, junior student council secretary, said.

On Friday, May 21 at The River Club will be the prom designed for the juniors. The theme, which was picked by the student council, will be “Masquerade Ball.”

The following night the senior prom will be held at The Watermark at Shully’s. Senior prom will be decorated for the theme of an Enchanted Forest. “We picked the prom theme from just seeing Shullys and knowing enchanted forest was a good fit,” Thailyr Perez, senior student council representative, said.

“Planning the logistics of prom was a very high-profile job, this year especially,” Brown said. After announcing the dates of prom, the student council received many questions from the student body, some of which they couldn’t answer. “We’ve all had to be very flexible and adapt to changes as they came.”

The district and the Homestead student council continued to work together to plan and organize prom. Through a variety of setbacks, which included venue changes and postponed dates due to COVID-19, the district and student council were able to organize this high school tradition amidst the pandemic. The original planning process started with the student council back in January and will continue up until the day of the event. “Underclassmen often help with the day-of decorating work,” Brown said.

The student council had a blend of on-campus and virtual students this year. “It is hard for them to engage in our meetings and many conversations occur more organically in the building through a pop in or hallway conversation,” Dawn Pfaff, student council advisor, said. Through weekly meetings, the student council was able to be flexible and make decisions that involved all members, virtual or not.

In order to abide by COVID-19 regulations, all students attending prom must provide a negative test or be fully vaccinated. On May 19 from 7 a.m. – 8 a.m. students can be tested for COVID-19 at Homestead. Another option is to receive a test from a private clinic or prove full vaccination on infinite campus. The ticket price stands at $85; however, if the student proves that they have been fully vaccinated, the cost will be reduced to $65, (as the additional $20 fee goes towards the payment for the rapid test).

Only Homestead students are allowed to attend prom this year, which differs from years past, and upperclassmen may only attend one prom. “It would be way too many kids to fit the COVID-19 regulations,” Perez said.

Students have received an email in their Infinite Campus which will prompt them to complete a Google form and fill out the basic information. Once that form has been completed, follow up emails will be sent out regarding payment completion, table requests, etc. For more information, reach out to any student council member or the advisor.