Prom goes ahead after teachers' contract dispute halted fundraising
Plans for prom night at Horton High ground to a halt while teachers and the province became embroiled in a contract dispute — so students and parents in Wolfville took matters into their own hands.
A work-to-rule job action by teachers put fundraising for prom on hold, leaving parents and students to find the cash to hold the event.
In past years, the lion's share of fundraising for the school's prom night celebrations was led by teachers.
"It threw a wrench, because we didn't know until late in the year, we didn't have the whole year to plan," said parent and prom organizer Sheonagh McCullough.
Teachers were in a contract dispute with the provincial government when they adopted the work-to-rule strategy late last year. It meant that teachers would do their jobs exactly as outlined by their contract, meaning they no longer organized school events like sports, concerts, or fundraisers for prom.
"Coming in late we didn't have a team together until March, we didn't have fundraising opportunities," said Mccullough.
Typically an in-school event, Monday night's prom was held at the Wolfville Farmers Market instead.
The rental of large, fire retardant curtains is the biggest prom night expense Horton High typically deals with — those curtains come with a fee of around $3,000.
"So we started to look around for other venues we could do to cut cost with only three months to put it on," said Mccullough.
'A wonderful experience'
The community came together to decorate the farmers market for prom night. The venue is used for holding other events like weddings when it's not filled with fresh produce.
Ultimately it was up to the student body when it came to choosing a prom venue this year.
"We brought it to a vote and with 100 students in attendance only 11 voted for Horton," said Mccullough.
It only cost $800 to rent the market for the night, a fee students and parents shouldered through fundraising.
"It's been a wonderful experience for the kids, I think they've taken a lot of ownership," said Mccullough.
Prom parade
Graduates marched alongside Wolfville Mayor Jeff Cantwell followed by a parade of colourful vehicles and tractors.
Students even rented the wine bus that takes tourists to the Annapolis Valley's wineries as a prom-night carriage.
"It's been kind of a tough year for the kids, they wanted choice and something where they could say 'we made this happen,'" said Mccullough.
A separate group of parents organized the safe grad event next door to the farmers market, where students spent the hours after prom had ended.
