KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — During this time of year, many high schoolers are busy picking out the perfect outfit for a special night, prom. Soon, students in one Midlands school district will celebrate a night under the stars like never before.
"At the beginning of the year, we didn't even know if we were going to have prom," North Central High School senior said.
From a tornado to the pandemic, North Central High School in Kershaw County experienced a lot of change.
"No pun intended, but yes, it has been quite the whirlwind with everything going on with relocating due to the tornado and having COVID put us out," North Central High School Principal David Branham said. "We were excited we were possibly going to have the prom sponsored by the Panthers at their stadium, COVID put a squash on that."
Branham is excited his students can look forward to something fun next month. Last year, the NFL Carolina Panthers team planned to host the prom in Charlotte, but COVID cancelled it. This year, some big plans are still in the works.
"The event will be at Carolina Motor Sports Park in Kershaw County," Branham said.
That wasn't the only surprise. The Panthers still plan to be involved.
"The game day DJ will be there set up and that's exciting for the kids, and also they are really putting a lot into the décor for the prom," Branham said.
Students will be able to dance the night away on the track, something Garbabe said she is looking forward to.
"I'm really excited about the things to come and prom. It's really exciting because everything got cancelled last year," Garbabe said.
As for the other two high schools in the district, Superintendent Dr. Shane Robbins said creativity is also allowing them to enjoy a prom. He also said students aren't the only ones who are excited.
"Anything we can do that is more typical is just as important for our staff as it is our students," Robbins said. "Usually you would look at a prom and say that's just 100% a student thing, no it's not, you have a prom advisor, teachers that go to those proms and you have teachers that really care about their kids."
North Central High School's prom will be May 13, and guests who are not North Central students are required to take a COVID-19 test prior to attending.