As a result of the Coronavirus and Governor Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home orders, this year’s prom and afterglo is moved to July 25. 

Administrators and staff are currently planning for a formal senior prom at the Jaffa Shrine and a formal senior afterglo at the Lakemont Park as usual. The prom and afterglo will followthe traditional senior commencement held at the Jaffa Shrine at 10 a.m. 

The prom will begin at 7:30 p.m. and end at 10:30 p.m. with the afterglo beginning at 12 a.m. and ending at 4 a.m. 

In an email sent out by principal Andrew Neely and assistant principal Vince Nedimyer, the traditional senior commencement, prom and afterglo will only happen depending on the ability to hold large events by July 25. AAHS administration will keep a close eye on this as the spring and early summer progresses according to Neely. 

Kelli Stoudnour and Season Consiglio, the senior class advisers, Kimberly Shope and the afterglo coordinator have worked with both Nedimyer and Neely to address concerns related to the holding of the annual prom and afterglo. 

The school’s administration believed having prom and afterglo later in the summer would be the right choice due to restrictions placed on schools and their activities by the government. 

“Due to the restrictions placed on schools and school activities by the government in response to health and safety protocols necessary to protect people during this current pandemic, events like prom and afterglo were not able to be held on the originally scheduled date. Our school administration thought it best to plan for these events later in the summer, when the restrictions, especially related to social distancing might be relaxed enough to allow the events to be held. Holding prom at the Jaffa was a result of the date not being available at the previously scheduled location. The Jaffa Shrine has a banquet facility that should accommodate a prom event,” Shope said. 

Prom will allow only seniors and their approved guests, instead of the normal junior/senior prom. 

“Prom and afterglo will be different in that, if allowed to occur, will be held in late July rather than in May. Prom is usually at the Blair County Convention Center to allow us to accommodate the number of students that attend. Due to the 2019-2020 school year ending with online instruction and the social distancing restrictions, seniors are unable to have a typical prom and afterglo. The school administration and class advisers are trying their best to provide these experiences for the seniors, as they won’t have another chance to attend.  So, the prom will be for seniors and their approved guest, instead of a junior/senior prom. The afterglo will only be different in that it will be held on a Saturday in late July following prom. Afterglo activities planned are the same as if the event had been held in May,” Shope said. 

Senior students are pleased to still have prom with the new plan in place even though it may be at a later date. 

“I like the plan. I’m grateful that seniors get to have prom and afterglo,” senior Jazzmine McCauley said. 

“I think it’s a smart idea! A lot of students still wanted something done so this is a good way to give students the experience they’d miss out on,” senior Gabrielle Genua said. 

McCauley believes that there may be more precautions during prom and afterglo but still hopes to have fun. 

Genua believes that the prom and afterglo will see fewer people in attendance.

“I think that there will be a lot less people because after graduation a lot of seniors are getting out of here,” Genua said.