“I think it was a long time coming” was the opinion shared by Principal Betty Getzfred as we began our discussion about the recent decision to combine the two schools’ Junior/Senior prom. The idea to combine the Pope John and Elgin High School Junior/Senior prom has been presented more than once over the years, and last week the idea became a reality as members of both school boards approved the proposal. Upon hearing the decision, I reached out to members from each administration, as well as their proms sponsors and a few affected students, to listen to their reaction to the decision.
Members of both administrations supported the decision to go forth and combine proms for several reasons. Elgin High Principal Greg Wemhoff explained, “The discussion of joint proms has been taking place for some time. The two schools believe that, with the low numbers of students, it was time to give it a try.” Currently, the senior class at Elgin High is made up of only three students, while the Pope John senior class has ten students. A total of 14 combined students account for the junior class at both schools. Adding to the reasons as to why she believed the two proms should combine, Principal Getzfred stated, “They participate in so many activities together; they socialize, with the numbers, it just makes sense.” To read the rest of the story turn to this week’s edition of the Elgin Review.