CLEVELAND — Last year, a lot of high school students lost out on a big night: prom. However, this year promises to be different.
This week, Gov. Mike DeWine gave an outlook as warm and bright as the weather in Northeast Ohio this weekend.
"We’re optimistic, I’m very optimistic," he said. "We have a lot of things to be happy about as we move forward."
He specifically named proms and graduations.
"This is not maybe your type of prom, with masks on, but you can still have prom," he added.
Schools and students are now planning.
"Senior prom is definitely something that I've always wanted to experience, and I feel like the rest of my class could agree on that," said Keara Kelly, a senior at Magnificat High School in Rocky River who is now looking for the perfect mask to where with her dress. "It’s definitely something I never expected to happen."
Garrin Bunker a senior at Chagrin Falls High School, is also excited for the night.
"It just brings everyone together, and we haven't been able to have that," he said. "Even if we don't get that full experience or that after prom, we still get a dance and we still get to have a social event with everyone from our high school."
His classmate, Sadie Nachtwey, had been bracing for the possibility of no dance at all.
"None of us wanted to get our hopes up because we saw what happened with the seniors last year," she said. "It was a surprise to hear that we would be able to."
Teegan Palmowski, a senior at Bay Village High School, is cautious but also optimistic.
"COVID is something that kind of scares me," he said. "I really don't want to get COVID, but at the same time I do really want to go to prom because that's like the capstone of senior year."
On Saturday, 3News reached out to a few districts and was told it is still too early to announce specific plans. At least one district is planning to hold its dance outside, and many more await guidance from the governor.