Prom this year, like most recent days, will be unrecognizable from just a year ago. 

Seniors will only be able to invite one guest from within the school. Guests can dance in pods of two to ten while social distancing will be enforced between pods to keep contract tracing effective and consistent.

In order for gatherings like this to happen, they must be held outside. This means seniors will be in the school parking lot—a downgrade from previously magically decorated dancefloors. In case of bad weather, the dance will be postponed until May 8. If the weather continues, the school will be forced to cancel in order to avoid quarantines too close to graduation. 

All high schools in Poudre School District will be following the same outline.

These guidelines were determined by the Larimer County Health Department’s current rating of coronavirus safety for the county. The school district has relied on the LCHD’s guidelines for the entire school year, meaning prom will only be canceled if the department calls for it. You can check the county’s status here.

Bradley Nye, the Activities Director at Fossil, promises some semblance of normalcy to celebrate the accomplishments of the current senior class as he acknowledges the disappointment they have experienced. 

“It hurts my heart that we don’t have more opportunities right now for students to be involved in,” said Nye.

He even stated, “I think about our seniors who are leaving this year and didn’t have the opportunity to do a lot of things you normally would as a senior, I hurt for our freshmen who don’t really know what it means to be a sabercat.” In a year when celebrations have either been canceled or postponed, this attempt at a dance serves to protect Fossil’s dwindling school spirit.

Some seniors see this attempt at normalcy as an extension of the disappointment this year has brought, while others are thankful for a chance to celebrate. Similarly, the make-up date for prom will be the same night as the school musical, Little Shop of Horrors, so many school thespians are afraid of limited attendance. 

Although it was not up to the administration, the decision to only invite seniors to the prom resulted in some concern from the junior class. Madison Moss, a junior, ultimately understands their

logic, “I’ve been looking forward to prom ever since middle school, so I am bummed that I won’t get to experience it this year. But I do feel lucky that I’ll get another chance next year,” she said.

Another factor that impacted the decision to not include Juniors, was their chance for normality next year. As of April 2021, administration is planning for an upcoming year with more familiar events.

But for now, students are doing their best to accept this reality. “I have been more motivated to be involved with school spirit because it was one of the things I took advantage of in the past couple years. I did not realize how important it was until it couldn’t happen,” said Moss.

Graduation will look very similar to the ceremony for the class of 2020, outdoors at French Field. Although their prom may look different, the seniors will finish their days in high school just the same as years passed— through perseverance and hope for the future.