Butler Area School District to hold prom outdoors

BUTLER, Pa. — The Butler Area School District is working hard to hold prom this year after it was canceled last spring due to the pandemic.

“I was very worried we wouldn’t be able to have one,” senior Sarah Fiorina said.

This will be the first time ever in the school’s history the event will be outdoors.

“It’s very different. It’s not what we were expecting, but to have anything is so awesome,” senior Olivia Collins said.

It won’t be your traditional high school prom. District officials said they are following CDC and state guidelines, meaning students will wear masks and will only be able to dance within 6 feet of their date, nobody else.

Mel Alston has children in school and appreciates leaders thinking outside the box to make the event happen.

“I think the kids are going to have a blast. They want to get dressed up, dance, want to be with their friends. It’s going to give these kids closure to their senior year,” Alston said.

School leaders said the real challenge will be figuring out the drop-off and parking areas.

Here are more details from school officials:

“Senior Students and Parents,

The last twelve months have created upheaval in day to day life and many of the activities and events that comprise the high school experience have either been cancelled or greatly altered in terms of participation. It is our desire to ensure that the Class of 2021 is able to have both a Prom and a Commencement ceremony. However, because we believe it unlikely that additional changes to group gathering guidelines in the next several weeks will be significant enough to return to our traditional Prom venue at Butler County Community College’s Founder’s Hall, we are in the process of planning an on-campus, outdoor Prom.

We will be sending additional information out regarding ticket sales, traffic flow, community viewing of the promenade, or “attendee walk”, parking, drop-off and so forth. For now, please know that the plan is to use the main bus circle as the primary outdoor venue where the DJ will be set-up. The cafeteria will be open with drinks available and the chance to sit for a few minutes and the lobby of the auditorium will be available as an air-conditioned cool-off spot in the event that the evening is quite warm. Such an undertaking will mean that we have to plan for a change in date in the event of bad weather. With that in mind, our plan will be as follows:

Planned date: Friday, May 7, 2021 7:00-10:30pm

Rain date 1: Saturday, May 8, 2021 7:00-10:30pm

Rain date 2: Saturday, May 15, 2021 7:00-10:30pm

Rain date 3: Friday, May 14, 2021 7:00-10:30pm

Prom is a formal event, and both attire and behavior should be reflective of that. Suits or tuxedos are appropriate, as are long dresses or other dressy outfits. All clothing must adhere to the dress code, including length and exposure requirements. Specifically, no jeans or casual clothes are permitted.

Butler’s Prom is a Senior event. Others, such as underclassmen, students from other schools, and graduates up to the age of 21 are welcome as dates for our seniors, but not as lone attendees.

We hope to make this an event to remember!

Sincerely,

John A. Wyllie, Jr.

Principal”

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