Sophomore Semi Marks Return to Indoor Social Events

The early planning stage of semi proved to be difficult especially during the Omicron surge in January which created a lot of uncertainty about whether or not students would be able to attend. “At first we were kind of thinking that people would have to wear masks, and we were a little bit nervous that there would be an event capacity limit,” Sophomore Class Advisor Ms. Allison said. “We kind of had to cross our fingers that the positive outcome was going to stay, and it has.” Fortunately, the class advisors were able to carry out the plan and even save great amounts of money. In the past, tickets for semi were usually $25 but this year ticket costs dropped to only $10. “We wanted to make sure, because the kids have missed out on so much with COVID the last couple years, that cost would not be prohibitive to anyone who wants to come to semi,” Ms. Allison added, claiming that this cost was enough to cover the decorations, food and beverages, and the DJ.

In a way, semi has acted as a trial run for the upcoming junior and senior proms which have also not made their appearances since the outbreak of COVID. Almost 300 students attended the dance including many guests from outside of Reading, showing just how excited they were to finally go to a significant social event and experience a school dance for the first time. “I thought it was a great trial run to see students almost in a normal environment, and I have not ever seen my sophomores smile like that since they got here, so they were so happy,” Vice Principal Ms. Theriault said and described the event as a wonderful social gathering for students from all grades, even for the juniors and seniors who attended, for they also missed out on school dances the past couple years.

“It was fun to see everyone outside the classroom,” Grace Hattery (‘24) who attended Friday’s dance stated. The students enjoyed the “black and white” theme and the brightly lit decorations that covered the cafeteria walls. After a long year of social distancing, semi has brought a sense of normality back to RMHS and has raised students’ hopes that other future events will be just as successful.