The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

The long awaited announcement: Graduation and prom news announced

Senior+Courtney+Mohr+looking+for+her+prom+dress+during+class
Paris Fietsam
Senior Courtney Mohr looking for her prom dress during class

As children, students dream of their senior year — specifically, prom and a graduation ceremony. As elementary students, the class of 2021 never imagined the possibility of no real prom or graduation.

Seniors have been begging for some sense of normalcy with the craziness going on this year, due to COVID-19. More than anything, students have been asking for a prom and graduation ceremony. After a long period of anticipation, Darren Erickson, principal, sent out a letter to families regarding prom and graduation.

Graduation is such a special event for everyone, and Erickson is aware of this. “We are planning on having graduation on May 30, 2021 at 3:30 P.M.,” Erickson stated. “We are doing everything we can to have a celebration in person this year.” Erickson and other administrators are doing what they can to please everyone.

The TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Ill. is the primary option at this point, however, it is not a sure choice. Due to the constant changing of COVID-19 rules and regulations, it is hard to tell what the status will be at the end of May. However, PV is hoping the TaxSlayer allows a bigger capacity and is a suitable option for graduation to be held. 

If the TaxSlayer is open at only 10 percent capacity, then graduation will be there with only two tickets per graduate and no band and choir. If it is open at 30 cent capacity, graduation will be there with band, choir, and eight tickets per graduate. If this is not the case, graduation will happen in the PVHS Gymnasium with only two tickets per graduate.

While there is still some uncertainty surrounding the graduation ceremony, PV families are provided with some peace of mind knowing that there will be some type of graduation ceremony. 

Prom has also been up in the air. Erickson had promised to give students some type of “prom related event,” but it is not clear on what this means. 

Erickson announced that there will be a prom on May 8, 2021. While many were hoping that prom will be held at a venue similar to the past, it seems as though that is not the case for this year. While anything can change at any time, PV is planning to hold a prom dance on the football field. Along with this, Right After Prom (RAP) will be held at the TBK Sports Complex on May 8 from 11 P.M. to 2 A.M. In the past, RAP has been held at the high school. 

There are many changes this year regarding everything at school. However, PV administration is doing their best to make the changes have the best outcome.

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About the Contributor
Paris Fietsam
Paris Fietsam, Social Media Manager
Paris Fietsam is currently a senior at Pleasant Valley and is the Social Media Manager for The Spartan Shield. She is heavily involved in extracurriculars including Spartan Assembly, Girls Learn International, National Honor Society and the girls tennis team. Outside of school, she works full time at Hand in Hand, a local non-profit child care center for people with and without disabilities. She also spends lots of time with her friends or her five siblings, and she can often be found watching Netflix. She also loves traveling and being in warm weather. After graduation, Paris plans to go to the University of Iowa to study English and education, and plans to become a high school English teacher.
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Comments (9)

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  • K

    Kellen HornbuckleApr 23, 2021 at 10:10 am

    Great article letting us know the updates on these events!

    Reply
  • S

    Sam KowingApr 20, 2021 at 8:15 am

    I hope this is all done as safely as possible, and I’m glad we can still have a graduation

    Reply
  • M

    Macey McKinnonApr 13, 2021 at 12:46 pm

    This article was super informative and very relatable to what students what to hear! Well done !

    Reply
  • J

    James BreenApr 9, 2021 at 9:52 pm

    This article was very informative. I am glad that we are still able to have these things, but I hope they continue to be done safely.

    Reply
  • J

    Julia LeachApr 9, 2021 at 2:58 pm

    After a year full of unanswered questions it is very nice to have an idea of how the end may will go.

    Reply
  • S

    Samuel KowingApr 7, 2021 at 8:05 am

    Glad to hear this stuff is still happening, I wonder what we’ll end up doing.

    Reply
  • E

    Emma NelsonApr 6, 2021 at 5:44 pm

    I really liked that your article gave some closure on what’s going to be happening with graduation. It’s been such an unknown this year about everything that has been going on that it’s good to finally know what some of the major plans are.

    Reply
  • J

    Joey BorbeckApr 6, 2021 at 2:23 pm

    Great article that specifies everything the administration is doing for us!

    Reply
  • C

    Carson AlbrechtApr 6, 2021 at 11:33 am

    Im glad prom will be ocuring I was waiting for this to happen!

    Reply
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The long awaited announcement: Graduation and prom news announced