One of the most difficult parts about school closures last March was the lack of much-anticipated school activities. This year is filled with that same uncertainty. Dances, spirit weeks, and assemblies make high school exciting and memorable, but questions about school activities continue to linger. 

Student Body Treasurer, Aubrey Clouse explained the plans for dances at this time: “Right now we do not know if we are going to have dances. We are hoping by the second semester it will be possible for us to host a dance.” 

Due to the uncertainty of when we will have dances and what they will be like, unsponsored homecoming dance invitations have been reposted and shared over social media outlets among students. These dances became very popular among students who missed prom last year, and the trend seems to be continuing this year as well. It seems that COVID-19 has taken all the normalcy out of high school life, and many students want to enjoy the excitement of high school. 

 When interviewing a student who hosted one of these dances, they asked to be left anonymous but said, “Me and my friends were pretty bummed that we weren’t having a homecoming this year due to COVID… we decided to host our own, taking precautions but still making memories.” 

Clouse explained, “We don’t have an opinion on other people hosting their own dances, we just hope that they are staying safe.”

Though certain students have hosted their own dances with safety precautions, this is not the case for every activity. These dances are not endorsed or sponsored by our school district and therefore are not mandated to follow the school’s safety rules. 

Sophomore Kayt Johanson expressed her concern for the safety of these crowded dances, “Large events like a statewide homecoming is putting so many people at risk… getting a whole bunch of students sick is going to send us all back into lockdown. We all want to get back as soon as possible.” 

When it comes to preventing the spread of COVID-19, it is up to individuals to decide what activities they are going to participate in and advocate for their own health and safety as well as the safety of others.

Principal Dan Serrano touched on the subject, explaining “What students do on their own time is really something I can’t get involved in,” He notes that taking advantage of high school activities this year will be much different this school year than in years past. “It’s difficult because you are doing things you’ve never done before.”

When asked if he would attend an unsponsored homecoming dance, senior Jackson Dodd voiced his concern. “I would much rather have Perry sponsor the dance because I don’t think anyone would do anything similar to homecoming or formal.” He adds his support for school dances on the condition that masks were required and other safety guidelines were implemented. 

Universally, students seem to enjoy all the activities that high school has to offer, but have different opinions on how and when they should be done, in order to keep every student and teacher safe.