Holding prom on the tennis courts might not be ideal in the minds of Helias Catholic High School students, but most were just appreciative it was held at all.
Cody Cassmeyer, a junior, attended with a group of friends.
"I'm excited," he said. "We're excited the school has taken the extreme steps to provide this for us."
Junior Jacie Buschjost said: "It's better than nothing. It's not ideal."
Still, she was looking forward to attending the dance with boyfriend Drew Schmidt, whom she's dated for the past eight months.
They had their parents take photos of them in the Carnahan Memorial Garden in the afternoon, then were heading to Ria's for dinner before going to prom.
Schmidt, a senior, also said he was excited for the event. "I've never been to a dance. It's my first one," he said.
Last year, COVID-19 caused Helias and many other schools to go without what's typically the most important dance in the lives of high school students.
This year, area schools are bringing back the formal dance - but with precautions due to the lingering pandemic.
Helias held its prom Sunday night on the school's tennis courts at Crusader Athletic Complex. The event was pushed back a day due to the threat of rain.
Masks were mandatory. As we previously reported, a prom coordinator planned other precautions, such as separating drinks and snacks from the dance area, Communications Director Sandy Hentges said.
She said the lower COVID-19 infection rate, along with the success of other school sports and events, persuaded the school to hold prom again this year.
Helias officials notified residents of the nearby neighborhood beforehand that music would play on the tennis court, Hentges said.
Cassmeyer said he was glad to be able to go to prom but was especially glad for the seniors since they missed prom as juniors due to the pandemic.
"With all the crazy cancellations we've had this (school) year, this is a final show of normalcy in the last couple weeks of school," Cassmeyer said.