UPDATE March 13 In a message sent out both via email and recorded phone call, principal Dan Lane reached out to upperclassmen to notify them that due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Prom, originally scheduled for March 28, would be moving to Fri. May 15. However, as mentioned in the email, McIntosh have been able to retain the venue of the Fox Theater’s Egyptian Ballroom.

This new date, while allowing time for the disease to dissipate, will present some challenges. Although the senior’s last day is currently scheduled to be the 14, juniors will have limited time to leave school, get ready, take pictures, and go to dinner all before the dance starts. Scheduling conflicts outside of McIntosh may also arise, with several AP Exams happening this date, including AP French Language and Culture, AP Computer Science Principals and AP Statistics. Additionally, the state championships for Track and Field are currently scheduled to happen on the 15. Students also are struggling with this change in terms of their reservations and rentals ranging from limousines to tuxedos to restaurants. “Rearranging plans and all will be a mess” commented senior Zohair Najam.

On the other hand, this change means that the vast majority of the event will continue as planned. With possibly extensive school closure, the future of Prom’s location, timing and even existence seemed to be unclear. However, by pushing back to a later date, much of the celebratory dance remains the same, or even better. “I’m happy about it,” said junior Anna Pakulski, “The weather will be nicer and it’s good that they just rescheduled it.” Not only will the event happen, but some other uncontrollable factors may be improved with this date. Additionally, although this date may now seem unusually late, many had previously deemed it unusually early coming in the month of March, making this a seemingly appropriate tradeoff.

Ultimately, this seems to be a change that had to happen. And though there may be conflicts with scheduling and reservations, by moving the date to May 15, much of the event should be able to continue as planned.

Stay tuned to the McIntosh Trail for continued updates.

ORIGINAL POST: March 12, 2020
Amidst a busy spring season and plenty of school sports, breaks and events, there has been plenty of concern and questioning about these functions coinciding with the dangerous Covid-19, or coronavirus, outbreak. However, the Student Government Association (SGA), McIntosh’s student-run body responsible for the planning and execution of prom and prom-related affairs, has recently come forward with a reassuring statement. “As of the morning of March 11, there are no plans to cancel prom,” said SGA advisor Janet Hansen. Although this should be comforting to upperclassmen, it is important to bear in mind that this is not final. Prom is a complicated event that intersects years of planning, large venues, various caterers and approval from many administrative bodies. Any one of the many factors could change at any point in time and potentially impact the site and time of prom.

Stay tuned to the McIntosh Trail for continued updates.