A combined prom and after prom event is being planned at the Hillsboro City Schools, superintendent Tim Davis said at Monday’s board of education meeting, the second event held in the new 800-seat auditorium.
Davis said that while the school district is still awaiting guidelines from the state and no date has been announced, the prom activities will be for juniors and seniors in the school district only.
Both the prom and after prom were cancelled a year ago due to COVID-19.
“We want to give our seniors something nice,” Davis said.
He said there will not be a grand march because it would result in too many people gathering in one location.
“If it rains we’ve got to bring it inside and if you’ve ever been here for one of those, it’s wall to wall people and we can’t do that. It’s unsafe,” Davis said.
He said a graduation ceremony is also being planned, and that it will be held inside with a more traditional format than a year ago when it was held outdoors.
Sophie Bourne, a senior who is the student representative to the board, said she has heard complaints about not enough family members being able to attend graduation, but also acknowledged that there is little the school district can do about state guidelines.
“We want to give the kids the best we can under what the circumstances are, and it’s very difficult,” Davis said.
Bourne also addressed what she said was a problem with parking in the mornings at the school that causes traffic congestion.
Davis said the parking situation is caused largely by parents who park in student spaces waiting for a bell to ring to allow students to enter the school. He said he hopes the problem will improve when the weather gets better and construction related to the auditorium is finished. He said there is a lack of room for students while they wait for the bell to ring and that possibly some adjustments can be made before next school year.
The superintendent reported that Everetts Way, a road that will link the high school/middle school to SR 247, is nearing completion with signage already erected. He said that when the weather breaks light poles can be set and markings on the road can be finished.
The auditorium is 98 percent complete, Davis said, with things like training on lighting and sound technology, installation of speakers and a few punch list items left to finish. He said the hope is to have those items finished in the next couple weeks so the school can receive a temporary occupancy permit. After that will be the paving of the driveway and parking area.
The school’s girls and boys bowling teams were honored at the meeting after both qualified for their respective state tournaments. The girls finished third in the state in Division I and the boys finished seventh in Division II.
The girls were also Frontier Athletic Conference and district champions. The team has not lost a conference match in four years. Davis said Selena Mingua finished third in the state individually and was named first-team All-Ohio, and Madison Tomko finished 12th in the state and was named All-Ohio honorable mention.
The boys were also FAC champions and advanced to the state tournament for the fifth time in the 11 years the sport has been in existence at the school.
“It’s absolutely unbelievable in the time this sport has been going on,” Davis said. “The tradition you guys have started and continue to excel in for our school and our community … makes us very proud.”
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.
