'The senior class deserves this': Prom, graduation will be held at Carmel Catholic
Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein plans to hold indoor junior and senior proms and an outdoor senior graduation at the end of May.
Proms for junior and seniors will be held separately Thursday, May 27, at the school. The junior prom will be held first for 90 minutes to two hours in the school gym, followed by the senior prom for the same amount of time.
About 200 students are expected at each prom.
Senior graduation will be held Friday, May 28, outdoors on the football field. About 250 of the 1,000 Carmel students are seniors.
“We anticipate everyone will choose to be part of the graduation and commencement ceremony,” said school President Brad Bonham.
“Students will have a limited number of tickets. It's not infinite, but it's important family attend this event,” he added. There will be social distancing for those attending and the event will be livestreamed.
Graduation was held in May 2020 but in five successive ceremonies with 50 students each. Proms were not held last year.
“The senior class deserves this,” Bonham said of the graduation ceremony.
Carmel has offered in-person learning in a hybrid model since last August. The school began five day a week in-person instruction at the end of March, with about 80% of students participating.
The school has been working closely with the Lake County Health Department and has had daily access to COVID-19 tests with results available in 15 minutes.
Students fill out a symptom form before leaving home each day. Their temperatures are checked before entering the school and they are required to wear masks and adhere to other protocols.
The rapid nasal swab test has been required only for special events, like the recent spring musical and the upcoming proms. Seniors taking the rapid test for prom will also be eligible to participate in graduation the next day.
“It was a purchase we thought was important,” Bonham said of the rapid tests. “It helps eliminate a lot of anxiety and a lot of fear.”
The health department has worked closely with schools throughout the pandemic, including facilitating rapid testing to support in-person learning, said spokeswoman Hannah Goering.
“We provide all schools with public health recommendations and guidelines and it is ultimately the responsibility of school administration to follow the current guidelines of the state to protect their school communities,” Goering said.
The health department does not review and approve individual school event plans, she added.