Dos Pueblos prepares for prom in pandemic

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — In a scenic setting at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, seniors at Dos Pueblos High School will soon experience prom in a pandemic.

Dos Pueblos senior Evyn Dalforno can’t wait for the festivities.

"I'm definitely most looking forward to dressing up and being with everyone,” she said. “As a senior class, we really have not had that many events together.”

Maddie Choi is the high school’s senior class vice president.

“It’s one of the biggest forms of closure we can have this year as a senior class,” she said. “Because we didn't get a lot of normal things a senior class has throughout the whole year."

Dos Pueblos counselor and activities director Scott Guttentag has planned plenty of proms.

“I’ve been at Dos Pueblos for 32 years and I’ve done 32 proms,” he said. “This one is probably the most special."

This year's big dance is strictly for seniors.

While students will dress in their best, masks must be worn throughout. 

To create space for physical distancing, chairs and tables will be strategically setup throughout the museum’s courtyard. 

In a separate eating area, students can also enjoy individually wrapped desserts and bottles of water.

“The theme we want for everyone going into the night is just to be in the moment,” Choi said. “Be with your friends, have this experience."

To participate in prom, seniors must provide proof of a vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within the past 72 hours.

“There were ways for us to follow all the rules and still give the students an elegant wonderful prom evening,” Guttentag said

With a DJ and a dance floor making the most out of the space, the night should be filled with fun and making memories.

“It’ll just represent our biggest form of being able to actually like feel like we have something to mark our senior year,” Choi said.

“The fact that we actually get to have an event amidst a pandemic is really something special,” Dalforno concluded. It's definitely something we'll all remember for a really long time."

The Dos Pueblos class of 2021 will be sent off with an in-person graduation ceremony on Wednesday evening at Scott O'Leary Stadium.