Eudora High School’s prom and All Night Prom are set to happen in mid-May after unanimous approval from the School Board last week.
The All Night Prom will take place at Eudora Middle School on May 15. The event also has approval from Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, as long as it doesn’t go past 50% of the building’s occupancy and masks are worn at all times, according to a letter organizers wrote to the school board.
Typically, All Night Prom also invites all grade levels, but this year only upperclassmen will be invited to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and follow county public health guidelines, said Gretchen Herron, All Night Prom’s fundraising chairwoman.
Around 250 people are expected to attend All Night Prom, according to a form the event’s coordinators submitted to the School Board.
“As the world starts to slowly recover and reopen, the parent committee of the Eudora High School All Night Prom is determined to give the Classes of 2021 and 2022 an All Night Prom they’ll never forget,” organizers wrote to the School Board.
Last year, prom and All Night Prom had to be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Members of the All Night Prom planning committee hoped they could reschedule it for the summer, but, because of county public health orders, they were unable to.
This year, prom will take place outdoors at the high school from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. All Night Prom will follow and will require temperature checks at the door.
“[Students] can start arriving at midnight and then we lock the doors at 1 a.m.,” Herron said.
After that, students are expected to stay till the doors open again at 5 a.m. They can leave earlier with parent permission, but students will forfeit any prizes they’d win by the end of the night.
Organizers for All Night Prom purchased an item called Microban, a 24-hour long sanitizing spray that kills 99.9% of germs. They plan to spray it on all games before students arrive. There will also be hand sanitizer in place at every area where games are taking place, according to the letter the organizers submitted to the School Board.
A food committee will also help individually plate food or provide individually wrapped food and drinks to help mitigate the spread of any germs. Students will then be able to use the upper bleachers and spaces outside of the common area to spread out and eat.
Plus, the hours of the event will be shorter. Typically, All Night Prom runs until 6 a.m. This year, it will end at 5 a.m.
The committee is also willing to pay for a custodian to come in and thoroughly clean the middle school after the event, according to the letter.
“It has been proven that as long as masks are worn, and proper distance is maintained, people can successfully be together and not spread the virus,” organizers wrote.
All Night Prom organizers are looking for parent volunteers to arrive between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. May 15. Volunteers will stay until about 5 a.m. Parent volunteers are also expected to wear a mask. Volunteers will also be served food through the night.
Volunteers can sign up using the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090b48a5a628a4fa7-ehsall3.
People can also help by purchasing prizes from the Amazon wish list for All Night Prom: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1X79FA1NYDEN0?ref=cm_sw_sm_r_un_un_uD2B3B1Z9p0lS.
Reach reporter Nicole Asbury at [email protected].
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