Ever since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, the thought of big crowds and close quarters has been a concern for the spread of covid-19.  All huge music festivals, social gatherings, and big crowds have been cancelled or postponed until further notice, for good reason. Now, it’s been 11 months since the pandemic began and big crowds still don’t seem to be an option to have fun for a while.

Because of this, GHS staff and students are stuck wondering what is to happen with the Homecoming and Prom celebrations this year.  They want to know if it’s possible that a dance is to happen, and luckily for students, the answer to this is: yes.

Student Council adviser Kate Wagner has played a huge role in planning what is  going to happen during these dances, and she shared some vital information which shows some optimism.  “Many local high schools have chosen to NOT move forward with the dance aspect of their 2021 Prom due to social distancing guidelines,” she said. “Greendale is considering looking at options that would allow us to host a shortened dance, however it is important to understand that some extra precautions would have to be in place in order for this to happen in a safe and allowable manner per  guidelines from public health agencies like the CDC, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and local health department.”  

Prom will take place on May 21, and it was moved from the Marcus Center in Milwaukee County to Western Lakes Golf Club in Waukesha County to increase the capacity limits.  The catering will be provided by Saz’s catering and the dancing will take place in a well lit tent outside of the venue and distancing measures will be in place.  

Wagner said that things will definitely look different at the dance.  “For obvious reasons, dancing will not look like it has at previous dances and masks will be required,” she said. “Other safety mitigations in place would likely be: a shorter dance time; 1/3 of music selections that encourage distanced dancing (think Cha Cha Slide, Cupid Shuffle, etc.); and even cohorts of prom-goers assigned specific portions of the dance floor. Note: this is for contact tracing purposes, like seating charts in your classrooms and in the lunchroom.”  

On top of the dance itself, the Grand March will be live streamed with distancing measures and masks required.  Pictures taken at the dance will not require masks.

As far as Homecoming goes, there will not be a dance but there will be activities planned. Wagner shares the plan for Homecoming week this year, “We will have a Spirit Week and a Spirit King and Queen. There will be a Drive in Movie Night on Wednesday. Thursday will be Powder Puff for senior girls and there will be a Bustos Hide and Seek sometime during the week,” she said.“On Saturday there will be a Food Truck tailgate that students can attend and an opportunity for groups of friends to take photos with different backdrops in the gym. Students can be casual or dress up, go with friends or dates.”

Senior Jonny Hottinger, is a student council member and he helped the school plan out these ideas and helped bring everything together. “I think that Prom and Homecoming will be lots of fun based off of our current situation and the rules and restrictions in place with COVID,” Hottinger said.

Wagner is really happy they have found a solution that will hopefully work.   “It is heartbreaking that both Prom and Homecoming were cancelled, so anything we can do to make this event happen, even with safety changes, is what we want to do. It will still be a beautiful, fun night, and I’m elated that we can hold the event,” Wagner said.