Wishek students turn grand march into a community-wide prom parade

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) -It may be mid-July, but in Wishek it’s prom weekend. Like so many other spring activities, the school’s prom was canceled because of coronavirus concerns.

But the parents of Wishek high schoolers wanted their kids to have a prom, even if it meant making some changes to the traditional prom.This is a prom like no other.Instead of a grand march nearly 80 students in Wishek took part in a community-wide prom parade. That parade ended up being the best part of this prom night.

”So many people, they didn’t even have to leave their house or anything, they could just come out and look at us,” said prom attendee, Danielle Gustad.

A more traditional prom was scheduled for early April, but the pandemic put those plans on hold.”We were only a couple of weeks away, so almost all of the girls had their dresses, they had their hair appointments, they had everything and then it was just a letdown because everything just stopped,” said a parent, Dynette Ketterling.

Ensuring the prom could go on amidst the pandemic required some changes, like reminders of social distancing and frequent sanitizing.Parents said they have confidence the safety measures they put in place will work.

“Kids are great, they know what they need to do. They’re going to be self-aware of what’s going on and what they need to do to stay safe,” said a parent, Kristie Peterson.

Peterson said she’s glad her kids don’t have to miss out on this year’s prom, even if it looks a little different than they expected. Parents said the prom is a great send off for the graduating seniors, who’ll finally be receiving their diplomas next weekend.