CHARLOTTE, Mich. — Charlotte High School put its homecoming dance on hold to figure out how the Eaton County school mask mandate would affect their plans, so parents decided to come together and put on their own homecoming dance.
“I just feel like those are the things that the kids look forward to," said Kellie McNally one of the parents planning the event.
“With the mask mandate, our students would not be interested in a masked indoor dance," Superintendent Mandy Stewart said in an email, "so we circled back around with our staff and students to plan an outdoor event. We sent a poll to all students, and there ended up being very little interest in an outdoor event at the stadium."
Stewart said she thinks it's wonderful that parents stepped up and offered an alternative.
So far 250 students RSVP-ed for the Oct. 2 dance at the Beach Market.
McNally said the effort got overwhelming support from the community.
“It started with, my husband DJ’s so okay we have a DJ. And then one of the other women in the group of parents that are helping with this, she owns a photography studio and class, so she offered to sponsor the venue," McNally said. "And then the fire department offered tables and chairs. We had restaurants reach out to us and see what they could do.”
Tenth grader Raeghan Ryan said she’s grateful to the community for putting this together and is looking forward to spending time with her friends.
“At school we get to hang out but we never really get to have like the fun bonding that you get when you do dances and things like prom. It’s like going to be like dressing up and getting ready together. I think that’s an experience that teenagers should get to have,” Ryan said.
Haiden Stone, another student at Charlotte High School, has been looking forward to the dance for years.
“When I was younger I would look at all the pictures all the older girls were taking and I would want to go," Stone said. "And last year I didn’t get to go. This year it wasn’t going to happen so I’m really happy that the parents did it.”
If you're interested in going to the dance click hereto RSVP.
The school will still have their football game and parade on Oct. 1.
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