Students refuse to gamble on Casino Night, causing its cancellation
Teenagers look forward to prom for years as a pillar of their high school experience. It’s portrayed in movies as being the defining night of a student’s high school life. While that may be exaggerated for the sake of the viewer, dressing up like royalty for one night is something that most young children dream about. Due to COVID restrictions this year, prom was replaced in favor of a seniors-only “Casino Night” with games and prizes for students. Unfortunately, and ironically due to low interest, even that event has disappeared.
“I feel like I’m definitely missing out on a big part of high school,” senior Carly Groskreutz said. “Many of us seniors never got to have that experience, which seems to be a big part of our culture, and the Casino Night wouldn’t even come close to the real thing.”
The West Prom Committee, the group in charge of planning the May formal,quickly realized 2021 would be an impossibility. Senior Mattie Schleicher saw the decision making first hand.
“I used to be on the prom committee, but I eventually saw no point, so I quit,” she said. “The idea of having a senior only dance, even if it was more like homecoming or not even formal at all, got put down almost instantly.”
The cancellation of Casino Night was announced to students on April 23 and most students were more surprised that they sold as many tickets as they did. English teacher Brianne Wolff was disappointed by the low interest leading to cancellation.
“We have been selling and advertising since the week before spring break and only sold about 30 tickets,” she said. “It became not feasible to hold this event for such a small group, which was a big reason as to why it had gotten cancelled. However, the prom committee was not in charge of the decision to change it, rather it came down from the district and Mrs. Kohl whose decision was primarily due to CDC recommendations and the Winnebago Health Department's guidelines.”
COVID-19 has put restrictions on all aspects of school life and the Casino Night solution was a response to that. Senior Allison Beek wonders why students congregate at school for several hours each day but can’t do the same at a dance.
“If we can go to school and sit right next to each other without barriers, then why can’t we go to a dance and be together with masks on, even if we can’t eat together at the dance?” she asked.
One reason for the low interest regarding Casino Night is that it paled in comparison to an actual prom, according to Beek.
“If they are going to do a prom event, why not just do a prom itself?” she said. “Masks aren’t the issue, but the whole school has gotten almost everything taken from them. We never got any football games, tailgates, parades, homecoming, and the list could go on.”
The thought of never having the prom experience is bound to raise some jealousy toward the districts around Oshkosh whose prom didn’t get canceled. Senior Kennedy Brantley began to wonder why Oshkosh was suddenly so different from the rest.
“I understand it’s supposed to be a safe alternative, but it’s not fun knowing that many of the schools around our district are having or have already had a real prom,” she said. “It feels a little unfair because if the people around found a way to stay safe, Oshkosh should be able to.”
Not only was prom canceled at West for the second year in a row, but ticket prices for the Casino Night were another concern for many students.
“No high school student wants to pay twenty dollars to go to a school event that we didn’t really want in the first place,” Brantley said. “It’s a bit ridiculous because we all are saving our money for college or any other path we choose after high school. The real world is expensive and we simply can’t afford to spend money on an event that won’t live up to what prom really is.”
Junior Jessie Kolb feels remorse for her classmates.
“I feel really bad that they never got the chance to go to a big dance like prom, because homecoming isn’t the same,” she said. “I went as a freshman and prom is like one of the last fun nights of high school before they move on to the next chapter.”
Senior Martha Miller tries to find the silver lining to a year that has brought nothing but clouds.
“I know it’s not ideal, and in a perfect world we would get our prom,” she said. “But at this point, all I really care about anymore is being able to have a fun night with my friends.”
As students begin to accept that their normal prom won’t be happening, some students are using their connections with students in other districts to get their first and only prom experience. Senior Maddie Bowen turned to a close friend as soon as she had heard about the cancellation.
“I was actually kind of upset that it got cancelled,” she said. “I thought that it was dumb that we couldn’t have a senior only dance, but I was ready to dress up and do something. I got my dress and I wasn’t willing to let it all go to waste and have no prom experience. One of my good friends goes to Kimberly and they are having a prom. I texted her and they are all allowed to have a guest so I’m going with her. It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I was looking at my senior year, but it was an opportunity I wasn’t willing to give up.”
Despite the lack of interest in Casino Night, Beek appreciated the effort.
“I’m thankful our school tried to do something,” she said. “It wasn’t what we wanted and it got cancelled anyway. But I hope they try to make the rest of our year worth it.”
By Sophie Burke
Oshkosh West Index Volume 117 Issue VII
April 30th, 2021