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It’s Prom weekend for North Royalton High School seniors and students are excited for their “Night Under the Stars.”
This year’s prom theme, “Night Under the Stars,” is quite literal – Prom will take place outdoors at the high school’s Serpentini Stadium beginning Saturday, May 22, at 6 p.m. A large canopy will be set up and all attendees will receive a “Prom-cho” (poncho) in the event of inclement weather. Students will dine on catered Antonio’s and enjoy a visit from the East Coast Custard dessert truck. A DJ will keep the tunes cranked throughout the stadium and a traditional announcement of Prom King, Queen and Court will take place, said teacher Matthew Ciha, who heads Prom and Student Council. The famous After Prom event will follow, beginning at 10:30 p.m. at the Strongsville Recreation Center.
“We knew we definitely were having a prom of some sort from the very start of the year,” Ciha said of planning. “The ‘who, what, where, how’ was up in the air until around January as we have been following state and federal guidance closely. The uncertainty made our traditional committee process of planning nearly impossible as a lot of the decisions weren’t really up for discussion.”
It should come as no surprise that planning the momentous events took patience and some creative strategy. The May 22 Prom and After Prom events will follow all state guidelines. Attendees will be required to wear masks except when eating/drinking, tables will be spaced six feet apart with no more than eight students per table, and dancing will be distanced.
“Our No. 1 priority this year was to make sure that every senior who wanted to attend Prom would be able to and do so safely,” Ciha said. “The majority of indoor venues would have made us limit the number of guests below what we normally expect for a Prom, approximately 350-450 students. Thus, the somewhat risky decision to have an outdoor Prom was made as it would allow us to accommodate all of our seniors plus guests and also afford us a little bit more flexibility with Covid guidelines with us being outdoors.”
“The pandemic has been a testament to just how resilient this year’s graduating class is,” said After Prom Committee Co-Chair Michelle Yuzwa. Together with parent and fellow Co-Chair Kim Dyson, the After Prom Committee has been hard at work since March planning their event, a perennial favorite amongst seniors. This year’s After Prom will feature a “GLO CLE” theme with multiple activities including a glow-in-the-dark dance, games, prizes, inflatables, food, and various sports and activities like an end-of-night hypnotist. Parents have been meeting virtually via Zoom to plan and map out After Prom, noted teacher Jonathan Dietrich who oversees planning for the annual event.
“We hit the road running, pulling together committee chairmen to organize decorations, food, prizes, donations and entertainment,” Dyson noted. “It takes a good $14,000 to run the event, of which we must fundraise about 75 percent. The additional funds come from the students’ prom ticket included in price.”
Several fundraisers were held including a Pick 3 event in April and an evening at Mastro’s The 3 Spot. The committee also thanks the City of North Royalton, the City of Broadview Heights, the North Royalton PTA and multiple local businesses for their support in donations.
After Prom event goers will notice many nuances that come with hosting a large-scale event amidst a global pandemic: hand sanitizer stations, prepackaged food and silverware, prompt disinfecting of inflatables and games, mask wearing and bring-your-own sports balls for games being just some of the new-normal rules. But the joy in being able to attend Prom and After Prom overshadows imposed restrictions.
“Our seniors definitely missed out on so many traditional North Royalton memories this year,” Dietrich said. “We’ve all tried our best to make it work in this Covid environment, but there will never be a substitute for human, face-to-face interaction. Our seniors were so excited when they heard that Prom and After Prom plans were coming together. I think all students in Northeast Ohio were holding their breaths as the year progressed, but once they found out these events would happen, the release of breath initiated a frantic dash to secure dates and tables and dresses and everything else. We’re all excited to experience these events before our seniors move into their next chapters. They deserve it.”
Dyson noted how grateful both she, her teen and parents are about being able to plan, host and attend a Prom event this year. Sadly, last year’s Class of 2020 had their Prom cancelled and a drive-up, door-to-door style format for After Prom.
Ciha remarked how the pandemic has taught him and others in his school community new ways of doing things, many times out of “pure raw necessity,” he said, commenting on how excited he is to help bring back the traditions high schoolers are used to.
“Just like everything this past year, flexibility and creativity have been key,” Ciha said. “This will certainly be our most unique Prom experience, but our students are happy that they will be able to have a Prom, even one as nontraditional as this. Last year’s seniors never really got a moment of closure together as a group. I feel that this group has really learned to appreciate every moment as we all saw how quickly they can disappear.”
When Dyson saw how many parents were logging into each After Prom Zoom planning session, she said she knew there was a lot of backing and support in making the events happen for graduating seniors.
“My daughter bleeds purple and gold and there’s so much she and all of the seniors have missed out on this year, so I thought, ‘let’s do this!’ and stepped up with Michelle Yuzwa to be co-chairs of After Prom,” Dyson said in a telephone interview. “Almost immediately, we had people donating so many prizes like TVs and money. You know, as a parent, you’ll do anything for your kids. We’re doing everything we can to make it special for our kids.”
By SARA MACHO HILL
Contributing Writer
