File:Prom 2020 - Laney Shoup, a senior at Brunswick High School from the Frederick News-Post, May 2, 2020.jpg

Summary

Frederick County seniors create alternate plans for prom By Erika Riley from The Frederick News-Post, May 2, 2020 In Photos: Brianna Munday, Senior at Brunswick High (on car) Laney Shoup, a senior at Brunswick High School Alexis Routzahn wasn’t expecting her senior prom to happen in her living room with her parents and three sisters. But it was much more fun than anything she could have hoped for, she said. “I’ve watched my sisters go to prom. It’s very upsetting to get it taken away,” Alexis said. “But in the end, I didn’t want it to just go away completely, so I figured there’s other ways I can do this so I’m not completely missing my prom.” The Routzahn family also didn’t want Alexis, a senior at Tuscarora High School, to go without her prom which had been canceled like much of the rest of her senior year due to the coronavirus pandemic. So Alexis’ parents and younger sister all got dressed up and her older sisters wore their old prom dresses. After taking a walk through their neighborhood, they came home and danced in their living room, which they had decorated with white curtains and string lights. Her grandmother and her boyfriend both drove by to see Alexis in her dress, too, while keeping a safe distance. “The prom I had at home was honestly better than all of the dances I have had,” she said. “And my sisters said this prom was better than their actual prom.” Frederick County seniors are getting creative with their prom celebrations now that they have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Some are hoping the summer will bring eased social distancing restrictions and will allow for seniors to congregate amongst themselves. Others are taking to social media to share photos of them dressed up. Middletown senior Jayden Bidle was looking forward to her senior prom to have one dance together with her friends before they go off to their future plans. Her mother, Jessica Bidle, is hoping to hold a makeshift prom at the family’s farm sometime in the summer. But with the future so uncertain, they don’t want to make any concrete plans just yet. “But there’s not really much we can do. It sucks but I’m sure everyone will get a chance to wear their prom dress and take pictures, it really depends on when this is over,” Jayden said. “It’s definitely a bummer.” Kimberly Flabbi decided to throw a homemade prom for her granddaughter Alexa Hopkins, who is graduating from Catoctin High School this year. After a car accident squashed Alexa’s plans to play her last season of volleyball, her grandmother wanted to make sure she got the prom she had been looking forward to for years. Alexa will be starting at Coastal Carolina University in the fall, studying marine biology. While Flabbi is excited for her, she’s going to miss her and wanted to send her off with fanfare. “So she’s just got the opportunity, so we wanted to do something special for her,” Flabbi said. Flabbi and her husband have made a tradition of surprising Alexa and her little sister throughout the years. She decided not to tell Alexa she was throwing her a prom, and instead waited for her sister to tell her to put on her dress. Alexa had a limo ride with her boyfriend before her grandma served them dinner under a white tent with decorations all around, including photos of the couple from throughout the years. Flabbi has seen the effect the cancelation of school has had on the Catoctin senior class. She’s been working at the high school for almost 30 years and is currently the adviser of the “Catoctin Crazies,” who are responsible for bringing school spirit to sporting events. At the beginning of the year, Flabbi said the seniors were all excited to graduate. By January, it seemed they wanted to slow down and enjoy the ride. When they heard school was going to be canceled, several of her club members came to her, distraught. “I can also say this is the first I have heard kids say they want to go back to school,” Flabbi said. Despite everything, Jayden Bidle said she knows her school always works hard to make the seniors feel special. And even with the absence of prom, she feels Middletown is doing everything they can to celebrate them. “It’s going to be even more special than any of the other senior classes just because we have to think of new creative ways to celebrate our success and graduating,” she said. “Thinking of it in a positive aspect, I feel like even though it’s not going to be what we thought it was, it’ll be something just as good.