A ferris wheel, formal dresses and six feet away — Oak Park High School’s Class of 2021 is going to prom. Put together by the Associated Student Body and the school administration, the event is planned to be held on Saturday, May 15 at Calamigos Ranch.   

“The class of 2021 has missed out on a lot of what makes senior year memorable,” Senior Class Vice President David Shiang wrote to the Talon. “For the entire 2020-2021 school year, ASB has been pushing for events on behalf of the student body. We are grateful for the help of the administration and the school board to move forward with prom.”  

ASB has been preparing for this event for over a year. Before COVID-19, ASB’s current senior class scouted and toured multiple locations for prom.  

“Thankfully, coronavirus cases have gone down, allowing us to move forward with our plans,” Shiang wrote. 

All prom plans are tentative, as OPHS hopes to receive further guidance from public health agencies. Under the current outline, prom will look similar to years before, with dinner, DJs and dancing. However, strict COVID-19 precautions will be in place. 

All guests must take a COVID-19 test on the OPHS campus three days before the event. Only those who test negative will be allowed to attend.  

“Upon arrival at Prom, all guests will also have their temperatures taken,” reads a post from the OPHS Class of 2021 Instagram. “Masks are required.” 

Tickets are $140 per person and will cover the cost of the event and dinner. They will begin to go on sale at the Student Store and online beginning Monday, April 19 and end Thursday, May 13. 

The dinner includes a Scarborough Farms Baby Greens salad, along with a choice of main dish between Seared Chicken Breast, Porcini and Truffle-Encrusted New York Steak or Ancient Grain Fried “Rice.” The first two options are gluten free and the last is a vegan, dairy-free and lactose-free option. There will be a variety of flavors for ice cream push-up pops and an assortment of mini desserts from Emi’s Bake House. 

For those attending as couples, at least one individual must be from OPHS or Oak Park Independent School. Guests outside of these schools will fill out a “Guest Pass Application,” which can be found online or at the Student Store. All forms must be completed by May 13.

“There were some things that were taken from us, but we have much more to be grateful for,” Shiang wrote. “We are excited and hope to see our senior class at prom!”