Prom is something most high school students have looked forward to since freshman year. But for the Class of 2021, their school-sponsored prom got taken away from them by COVID-19. 

Heartbreak spread around the senior class after their final year of high school when it was announced their final year of dances had been taken away. Anika Nelson and Elizabeth Boysen, along with other LHS students, decided a nonschool-sponsored prom would be the perfect final goodbye to their high school career at LHS. The committee has been planning this event since the beginning of the year. With prom being the staple of high school, the intention was to at least have this dance to end the high on a high note. 

“The main intention for The Underground Prom is to give the LHS senior class one final activity and event to close out our year. It has also been something all seniors have looked forward to since freshman year, if not before, so to have this is really just giving us a piece of the ideal senior year we had all previously imagined,” said Nelson. 

With the help of families and ticket sales, their “Underground Prom” is looking to be safe and successful, as the main focus right now is spreading the word. 

“Since the school is not sponsoring this event, we are not allowed to advertise on school grounds,” said Nelson. “So, the planning committee has mainly been focused on posting informational posts on social media as well as wearing T-shirts that encourage purchasing tickets, as well as spreading the word about the occurrence itself.”

Major events have been canceled at high schools across the country to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Wanting a prom has some people concerned for the safety of themselves and others. 

“We’ve had people express concerns about COVID-19 regulations, but we have made sure to make it very clear that masks will be required by all attendees and will be strictly enforced,” said Boysen. “We also want to make it very clear that this event is completely separate from the school and is being put together by parents and students only. And that our mask requirement will be very strictly enforced by chaperones at the event.”