NASHVILLE, Tenn (WTVF) — The COVID-19 pandemic has canceled or postponed a lot for many students like sports, graduation and even prom.
Some teens would say it's a rite of passage to have a senior prom but the virus has threatened the tradition. But a group of high school seniors won't let that happen.
Hillwood High School teens are raising the money to save prom.
"This was the last thing that kind brought us together. We missed out on it last year, we missed out on our picnic last year; we missed out on so much together," said 17-year-old Eriana Epheriam.
Hillwood High School seniors Kayla Peden and Eriana Epheriam said they heard prom could happen but it would not include dancing or food because of the COVID-19 safety guidelines.
So these students were not going to let the pandemic cancel another thing important to them.
"This is what you look forward to in high school and it's just like we didn’t want to give that up," said Epheriam.
With the school’s blessing, they decided to save prom by finding a venue outside Davidson County.
And in order to do that they needed money because they tell us Hillwood High School can’t fund the event since it’s not on school property, so they made a GoFundMe account.
"In less than 24 hours we have almost $3 thousand and that’s just from sharing it with our friends and posting it on Facebook," said Kayla Peden.
To make sure these students play it safe, the teens say masks will be required.
"We've constantly been tracking the amount of cases and from the very beginning, we said we were going to keep it at a max limit," said Epheriam.
They’re also hoping their classmates get vaccinated when it’s available. Kayla and Eriana say taking on this role hasn't been easy but to them, it’s worth it.
"We’re back in school now and everything is going so smoothly and everyone is so safe when it comes to using hand sanitizer, wearing your mask correctly," said Peden, "If we’ve been doing this for so long now, we might as well adapt to it and make the most of it rather than just sit back in sorrow all the time."
And they’re encouraging other seniors from different schools to plan a prom if their events were canceled or changed as well.
"If your school is having some whack rules, definitely go for it," said Peden. "As long as it’s safe of course," said Epheriam.
The Hillwood High School 2021 prom will be hosted on May 16.
