Saturday night the senior class will be celebrating “Under the Stars” at the first outdoor prom in SHS history.

With COVID-19 protocols and restrictions still in place, the senior class officers and sponsors had to get creative with an outside venue and selected Standard Service in Heath.   

“Because prom is being held outside this year, out at night, we are hoping it looks cool with the real stars and found it fitting for our theme,” senior class president Thom Pham said. 

Spanning more than two acres, Standard Service has outdoor games, small seating areas, and fire pits. The majority of the area is artificial turf, so no heels are allowed, but there will be a shoe check in at the venue.

Keeping with prom tradition, there will be raffle prizes and music provided by a local DJ for dancing.

“I think the venue is absolutely beautiful, and an outdoor prom is a great solution to awful circumstances,” senior Kaitlyn Collins said. 

Food will be pre-packaged and provided by Standard Service. Prom goers will enjoy assorted finger foods and desserts. 

To combat COVID-19 at prom, there will also be a pre-screening procedure before entering the venue, masks must be worn at all times except when eating or drinking, chairs will be spread out as much as possible and there will be a seating chart for COVID-19 tracing purposes. 

“I was concerned at first because I didn’t know what safety precautions we would take but that quickly shifted to worrying that safety precautions would take away from how amazing prom is supposed to be,” Collins said. “But as soon as I started making plans with my friends and picking out my dress, I felt sure that it was still going to be an amazing night.”

According to class of 2021 sponsor, Tami McKeon, the district decided that only GISD students can attend a GISD high school prom. For students attending who go to a different GISD school, they must be invited by a Sachse senior, and they must have a form completed by their principal granting them permission to attend prom. 

“I was upset when they announced that only GISD students could attend prom,” senior Dylan Pittsinger said. Pittsinger’s girlfriend attends Wylie East High School. “But my girlfriend and I are planning to dress up and have dinner together since we can’t go to each other’s prom.”

The approval of prom has only motivated Pham to make it a memorable night.

“It’s motivated all the class officers knowing that we have an opportunity to give our class something amazing in the midst of everything going on,” Pham said.

Collins said she is looking forward to feeling like a senior since COVID-19 has taken so many of those opportunities away. 

“To me, this year has sometimes felt like we had come so far just to earn nothing,” she said, “but I think prom night will make this journey feel more worth it.”