The entire RJUHSD community received an email after school on March 10th from Superintendent Denise Hermann explaining the precautions being taken surrounding the COVID-19 virus.  In the email, it specifically explained the actions implemented surrounding after-school events. It declared that all on-campus events after 3 p.m. are cancelled, including Junior Prom.  

When I received this news, I was very disappointed due to the fact that I am a member of Junior Prom court.  The morning this email was sent out, members of student government met with the court members explaining that the  court walkout on the morning of Wednesday March 12th, was cancelled, however the dance had not been cancelled yet. They were planning on having something similar to a walkout on the actual night of the dance.

It wasn’t fair that we were not going to get the full Junior Prom Court experience that years and years of court members have gotten in the past. I was looking forward to the walkout and not to mention that my fellow court members and I spent much time preparing for it.  Luckily, I did not buy a new dress for the occasion, but many others did. My escorts and I spent time preparing for the walkout and what we were going to do and wear.

My parents were planning on visiting the school in order to watch the walkout and took time off work to make it.  Also, other court members had either boyfriends/girlfriends and or siblings that were expecting to leave school, work, or other previously scheduled events but now have no purpose to leave.  

After I came home from school, I received the email stating that the dance itself was being cancelled as well.  The plan is that the school is going to try and reschedule the dance for May 9th, but that is not definite and they might cancel it altogether.  I was both upset and relieved because I was looking forward to the dance, however if it does end up getting rescheduled, I would be able to fully experience what being a court member is like.

Many people are inconvenienced by the cancellation because people rented tuxedos, and therefore not able to use them for the event, wasting their money. People spent money on dresses that wouldn’t even be needed anymore.  Personally, I spent about $130 on my dress, which doesn’t include other things I bought, and it’s not a dress I can wear for another occasion. I would have to save it until Senior Ball and it might not even fit me by then so I potentially bought a dress for nothing.

Those who bought corsages wasted money because they don’t need them until potentially May and the flowers would not survive that long. Also, people spent money to get their nails done and hair done and now that the dance is cancelled, rendering everything unnecessary.  The ripple effect of this is felt everywhere – in the minute ways that still matter. 

However, the rescheduling of the dance may not happen and it could be completely cancelled.  This adds to the money spent and now wasted on the dance. At face value – the date of a dance is being rescheduled. In reality, the students here at RHS are taking the brunt of what COVID-19 is doing to our community. This to me is indicative of a rash decision on the district’s part.