Kaua‘i High School salvages prom

LIHU‘E — Saturday was supposed to be the Kaua‘i High School prom, said Divina Plowman, the Kaua‘i High School Student Activities Coordinator.

But concerns surrounding COVID-19 kept the school from having the big event for the students.

Plowman, the Kaua‘i High School Student Government, and the Kaua‘i High Media collaborated via teleconferencing to “bring some positivity and hope to the Class of 2020 by initiating a Virtual Prom Hoss Elections” on the same night the prom was supposed to happen.

Students were encouraged to dress up in their prom attire and post photos on the Kaua‘i High Student Activities Instagram page, or the Kaua‘i High School Facebook pages. These were voted on by the students in categories including Best Dress, Best Suit, Best Makeup, and Best Overall Theme which was the Roaring 20s.

Kaua‘i High School junior class president Alana Cayabyab, Kaua‘i High School senior class president Jacie Ogata, and Plowman spearheaded the effort, getting help from Mikaela Corpuz of the Kaua‘i High Media and its instructor Leah Aiwohi.

“Students, especially our seniors, are disheartened that their prom has been cancelled due to the pandemic,” Plowman said. “We feel for them. We thought this experience would at least offer hope and a memorable experience for them in a small way. Although Virtual Prom does not replace the ‘real event,’ we agreed that it would be a nice gesture to offer an alternative venue for students to connect, listen, and dance to music and show off their prom attire via Hoss Elections photos.”

Prom date came with two students hosting an Instagram Live to invite students to share their prom attire photos, and dance with music in the comfort of their own homes.

Kyra Robley was voted Best Overall Theme during the Hoss Elections, and Kayllah Salud had the Best Makeup. Autumn Lee donned the Best Suit, and Aleah Yano had the Best Dress. Vanessa Alcones was voted the People’s Choice winner during the event that was live for 150 minutes, Saturday night.

“Overall, I believe our Virtual Prom was a big success,” Cayabyab said. “I didn’t expect the turnout to be so big. At least a total of 100 students participated, whether they were dressed up or not, or just joined our live on our Instagram. Seeing students share their fit and make the best out of the situation really warmed my heart. I knew a lot of students were bummed when we had to cancel — for some, it would’ve been their first high school dance, ever even for some seniors.”

Plowman said the Virtual Prom does not compare to the 420 students who were confirmed to attend the prom on Saturday, but it was a fun, safe, virtual experience.