WEB EXCLUSIVE Juniors and seniors found ways to celebrate prom either virtually or in small groups while practicing social distancing guidelines on Saturday. 

Senior Abby Widjanarko dressed up in her blush colored lace dress and recreated prom at home with friends. 

“I was really disappointed when I realized that I wasn’t going to have a typical senior year prom,” Widjanarko said. “We chose to have a social distancing prom because we all had dresses and wanted to have some fun getting dressed up during quarantine.”

For most juniors, this would have been their first year experiencing prom and by celebrating it virtually they were able to not miss out on the occasion and make the best out of the current circumstances. 

“I was very sad prom was cancelled because I’ve never been to a prom and I was looking forward to it,” junior Bella Wasserman said. “I wanted to still celebrate the fun occasion with my friends and although we couldn’t leave the house, I wanted to make the most out of the situation.”

Teens worldwide are participating in virtual or small group proms in order to commemorate this event. 

“Even though it wasn’t a typical prom, it was still a fun, unique experience,” senior Brooke Wilson said. “I guess we realized that this was the one thing we wouldn’t necessarily have to miss, so we decided to dress up anyways and take photos from six feet apart.” 

Both juniors and seniors noted that the experience was different than what was expected. 

“Our social distancing prom was a lot smaller and shorter than it would be if we had actually prom.” Widjanarko said. “It was a bittersweet experience.”