By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City High School seniors were denied their prom this spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but local educators and supporters gave them the chance to walk the red carpet Wednesday, May 27.
This wasn’t the usual red carpet into the Flanders Hotel for the prom, but there were numerous gowns and suits on display as about a third of the Class of 2020 took advantage of the opportunity to walk across a red carpet on Atlantic Avenue, passing beneath the archway from the former high school and over to the school that replaced it across the way.
As they walked, a DJ played music and often added applause and cheers as seniors, one by one, made the walk and their parents or other family members watched from their cars, recording the moments on their mobile phones.
There was one mandatory fashion accessory of the day that came in a range of styles and colors: a facemask. All the students wore them, as did the teachers and administrators who were helping out.
To keep up with social distancing guidelines, all of the students had to remain in their vehicles, which first lined up by the Ocean City Tabernacle, then made their way across the parking lot at the high school. One by one, the cars let their senior out and as the gown- and suit-bedecked students walked across Atlantic Avenue on the carpet, the cars slowly rolled onto the avenue, where they were able to park and photograph their charges in front of a huge congratulatory billboard for the Class of 2020.
While the students were being announced by teacher John Bruno, reading from index cards provided one by one by the students, he also mentioned some of the students’ favorite memories from high school.
Gabrielle Eiler said she enjoyed being part of the cheerleading team for four years and Rebecka Brandenburg said she enjoyed the bus rides to and from football games. Louisa Esposito cited the trip to Orlando with the choir and Grace Burke said she would remember making it to the state track meet with the 4×400 relay team.
John Bogart said he enjoyed building the Addams Family house with the stage crew and Shane Kirby said he was fond of marching band, the drama guild, ASL productions and lunchtime. (Lunchtime was a repeat favorite among many of the seniors, as Bruno pointed out.)
Alyssa Zimmerman liked cooking with the French Club, Mac Young said he liked “ballin’ out in dodgeball with his friends.” Brooke Powell and Brynn Bowman said a favorite memory was winning the powder puff football game and Jared Warrington, who sported a rainbow-colored wig and a white dress over his shorts and sneakers, said he would remember freshman field day that helped create a bond between upper classmen and lower classmen.
Sports was a popular theme as well.
Molly Reardon liked playing field hockey and lacrosse, where she made some of her best friends, Katie Mazzitelli said making friends “who will last a lifetime and winning a state title in soccer,” and Aidan Reid said it was “scoring the game-winning goal as a senior against Mainland.”
Mike Williscroft Jr., who arrived just as the event was about to end, said he would remember beating Mainland in the playoff football game in the fall. “Thank you for showing up early,” Bruno teased. “We appreciate it.”
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Taylor said because the school couldn’t have a prom, they wanted to find a way “seniors could have their moment on the red carpet.”
They did it this way, honoring social distancing and wearing masks, “but we’ll be able to celebrate the students, what they remember, or their memory of high school, and do it in a personal way.”
The other reason for the red carpet event was a means to get them together, even if at a little distance in their cars and walking the red carpet.
“We wanted to have the seniors come together and be here collectively, as best as they can collectively be,” she said, instead of at home where they can’t see each other or the teachers and staff and vice versa. “We wanted that personal connection again the best way we could.
“We thought it would be celebratory, to dress up, have your picture taken outside of the school, and we love that they’re going under the old archway for the school,” Taylor said. “What was in the past, to their present, and going to their future. We thought that whole connection, past, present and future, was important for them too.”
High school Principal Dr. Matt Jamison said a lot of people came together to pull of the red carpet event, naming the Ocean City Police Department, OCNJ CARES, Ocean City After Prom Committee and the Ocean City Educators Association.
“We all came together, came up with this idea to afford the kids just something to bring them together, albeit following social distancing guidelines, and it really worked out well,” he said. “We had great weather, and the smiles on their faces told the whole story. It was just great to see the kids. From everyone in the building and everyone in the community we really miss our seniors. We miss all of our students, but especially our seniors, this class.”
