Broken Arrow Mother Working To Organize Prom For Late June

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. - A Broken Arrow mother is trying to plan a delayed prom so her son and other seniors can share one last high school memory together.

She said she only wants the prom to go on if it can be done safely.

The delayed prom is not affiliated with the Broken Arrow Public School District, but the district is aware of the effort to get the seniors together one last time before graduation.

More than 1,000 students make up Broken Arrow's class of 2020, with seniors getting ready to head into the workforce, off to college, or into the military.

Andrea Earnest's son Logan is going to Oklahoma State University in the fall.

But before students chase their dreams, Andrea said she doesn't want them to miss out on making a few more memories.

"I think it's not necessarily the prom in itself, it's the saying goodbye. It's those, those last moments they missed,” Andrea said.

Prom would have been May 2 but was canceled because of COVID-19. The new date Andrea is aiming for is June 25 at the Stoney Creek Hotel, and only if gathering restrictions are lifted.

She said when considering the venue, food, decorations, a DJ and security, it would cost thousands of dollars to pull it off, and without any school funding.

"We're going to have to try to put this together on our own, so any type of help would be greatly appreciated,” Andrea said.

She said while Stoney Creek Hotel has agreed to be the venue, she is open to going to another venue in order to save money. Right now, she said a decision has not been made about how or where people can donate if they would like to help.

The district said the tentative plan is to have seniors celebrate graduation at the BOK Center a few days later on June 30.

The district didn't want to take a position on the grassroots prom, but Associate Superintendent for Student Services Chuck Perry said on the phone, "It does not seem feasible to have a dance, such as a prom, and meet social distancing guidelines at this time, but that could change."

Andrea realizes not everyone will feel comfortable going.

"Never would I want to put anybody in harm's way, at all,” Andrea said. 

But for those who do, she doesn't want to give up.

"If it's all for not, I gave it my best shot. I gave it my best shot,” she said.

If you would like to help make the event a reality, Andrea said people or businesses can reach out on this Facebook page.