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Class of 2021: Senior Event Update
Dear Seniors and Senior Parents:
We are looking forward, as we know many of you are, to celebrating many of our culminating activities for the 2020-21 school year and the end of your time as Uxbridge High School Spartans. Despite the twists and turns, the Class of 2021 has absolutely modeled many of our core values - especially those about perseverance and responsibility. As we look ahead to the coming months, we realize that there are many details still to be ironed out, but that we hope to share with clarity.
Prom
The Commissioner released guidelines and guidance regarding senior events, and included in that guidance are specific expectations for proms. In short, it is being recommended that proms not be scheduled at all, and that proms that are scheduled occur well into the summer months when more students will have been vaccinated.
Despite the state’s recommendations, we are moving forward with our prom on May 14, with some mitigating strategies put in place. These steps will ensure that we can safely hold the prom without worrying about the event turning into a COVID-19 spreader event.
- Only members of the Class of 2021 will be permitted to attend, and attendance will be capped at 100 total students.
- Those who plan on attending the prom will have to meet one of the following criteria:
- Provide documented evidence to the school nurse, Ms. Schiller, of a COVID-19 vaccine. Even one dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, which are showing, in some studies, efficacy rates greater than 90%, would be satisfactory.
- Take a rapid test that comes up negative the morning of the prom, while at school, with Ms. Schiller.
- Provide evidence of a negative test result taken within 48 hours of May 14.
- A student who is vaccinated will not need a rapid test done.
- A student whose rapid test comes back positive will not be permitted to attend the prom.
- Prior to boarding the bus at UHS that will transport students to the prom, all students will have to verify via survey that they are not symptomatic in any way.
If a student were to come down with symptoms any time over the weekend, May 15-16, after the event, we would likely be looking at quarantining all attendees who are not vaccinated. There is the assumption of risk in attending an event like this for anyone - including our chaperones.
There is a two-question survey to gauge feedback on this model. Please keep in mind that other options include following the Commissioner’s guidance to cancel proms.
Vaccine Opportunity
Because we are looking to encourage as many of our students to be able to attend senior events as possible, we are working closely with the Uxbridge Board of Health to host a Class of 2021 vaccine event, starting with those members of the Class who are 17 or 18. This will enable our students to have at least the single dose of a Pfizer vaccine or the entire Johnson & Johnson vaccine prior to our senior events. Students who get a vaccine will be obligated to volunteer for the Board of Health at a clinic in exchange for the vaccination.
We will share this information with families and our seniors as soon as we have it all confirmed.
Graduation
We will be sharing out a process for reserving seats at graduation in early May. If there are unique circumstances, such as handicapped accessibility or family dynamics that necessitate our support, please reach out to administration and the high school main office.
Seniors’ Last Day
There have been some questions about the last day of school for the Class of 2021. We are looking at their last day of formal class being Monday, May 17 - for any senior who has a grade over 70. Students who have Advanced Placement classes and would like to attend will have the latitude to do so, with review in mind, and students with grades below 70 will be required to attend in order to guarantee a passing grade by the end of the term. Those students, with grades below 70, will be required to stay until Friday, May 28. We hope this provides a motivational incentive for students to finish strong and finalize their academic careers on a positive note, while providing time for those who need additional support.
Senior Week
It is looking like some of our senior events, such as the awards and scholarship night, could be virtual. We will be looking at a variety of options to try and make these happen smoothly. We are going to do our very best to make these memorable, but it is entirely possible that we will not be able to hold all of these events as previously and traditionally organized.
We appreciate, as always, your patience, and we will share new information as it comes up. Should any changes necessitate a change in plans, we will also communicate with everyone as quickly as possible.
Be well,
Michael Rubin, Principal Christine Prior, Class of 2021 Advisor