“Will you go to prom with me?” This formal prom proposal would typically be echoing in the walls of our high school during April and May, where two people would accompany each other in the must-have experience of their junior and senior years. However, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, Palo decided to take a new route, while still delivering similar exposure. Our fantastic faculty, teachers, and staff organized Palo’s first-ever “InstaProm!”. 

To explain the significance of this event, Mrs. Vacante said, “We haven’t had any opportunities to have an event on campus, so we are happy to offer something to our students. The photos that will be taken at the InstaProm are (hopefully) once and lifetime photos.” The school’s idea was to have a new version of prom, so our seniors don’t have to say farewell to their last year without a prom experience and our juniors without a dance in their second last year of high school. 

Exploring the flow of the prom, it consisted of 8 different stations that all offer something a little different to make the experience enjoyable and memorable. 

She added, “one other reason we’re excited about this event is that we have many staff members working the event, and they are very excited to see you all at an event on campus.” 

The staff did a great job of regulating safety with the pandemic. There were groups of no more than six to maintain social distancing, and all stations had tape markers on the ground to help with the social distancing, and the staff was sanitizing each ring light after use. Also, masks were required regardless of an individual’s vaccination records.  

Palo Verde High School junior, Catherine Carvalho said, “the backdrops the teachers created were a huge success and very creative. The whole event also ran very smoothly and was very safe”. Each station had its theme that displayed terrific decorations. 

Supporting Catherine’s outcome with the prom, junior Noor Janjua said, “ I was surprised by my first prom experience. This was the first year we had an InstaProm, and I enjoyed it. Also, the timeline of it from when the idea came up to now was very well managed. It was overall a great place to go take pictures with your friends or just even by yourself.” 

When looking at the perspective of our Palo seniors, Madison Dwyer said, “I had a wonderful time at InstaProm! I want to express my true gratitude to all the teachers who work so tirelessly for us students every day and put together an event for us. Everyone in my group could tell the effort put into the night, and all of us were excited to see each other and our teachers again. Thank you, Palo teachers!” 

Palo Verde senior, Rahul Variar, said, “I thought that InstaProm was a wonderful experience! It was a lot of fun getting to hang out with such an incredible group of people (made all the more amazing by the best prom date ever)! I thought the teachers did an excellent job of running the event, making it engaging and interactive while simultaneously safe and conscientious. The photo spots were all great, and the shots themselves were nice! Overall, I loved the experience!”

Junior, Makayla Campbell, added, “the popcorn goody bag was so very nice and yummy. It felt very nice to dress up and it was a good time.” 

Like Makayla said, the school also offered popcorn girl favors to give out to the students as they left the event. To add to the surprise, the students also got a chance to see our new PVHS member, Dood the panther.  

Mrs. Reed said, “I think it was an effective alternative for prom considering the time in which the student council had to plan for the event.  Many teachers and staff also dedicated time to make sure the event was successful.  Overall, considering the stipulations from the district, this event went well!” 

This is the best alternative for the traditional prom our juniors and seniors could have asked for. With the encouragement of our excellent teachers, staff members, and their creative ideas, which included the shiny backdrops, colorful decorations, and exciting treats, the class of 2022 enjoyed their first year of prom, and the class of 2021 can say farewell to Palo following the new unique and wonderful dance!  

The following were the excellent teachers that helped to deliver the best prom of 2021: Ms. Dambro, Mrs. Steinline, Ms. Maps, Ms. Mamo, Mr. Coop, Ms. Crouch, Mr. Roussel, Ms. Resnick, Ms. Shimko, Ms. Staten, Ms. Brough, Mrs. Vacante, Mr. Read, Ms. Meyer, Mrs. Reed, Ms. Ventura, Ms. Broussard, Mr. Velasquez, Ms. Christian, Mr. Fabunan, Ms. Coultas, and Ms. Gutierrez, and the school is very thankful for their time and effort!