It’s around 1 p.m. on a Friday, and Demetrius Dortch and his mother, Nieta, are at K&G Fashion Superstore in the Cermak Plaza. Nieta just picked up her teenage son from school and headed to the Berwyn store to pick up the rest of his prom suit, a black dress shirt and a pair of black slacks both tailored to fit.
As the two walked toward the dressing rooms to collect the missing pieces and do a final fitting with a tailor, Demetrius quickly recited his to-do list before the big night, including getting his hair cut, colored and twisted.
“[I’m] dying it a little lighter blonde,” Demetrius, a senior at Oak Park and River Forest High School, said May 13, the day before prom. He set an appointment for the morning of May 14, making sure he was picture perfect by nightfall.
For many teens like Demetrius, prom is a quintessential moment in their lives, a tradition coupled with graduation used to close the final chapter of high school. And for the last two years, prom and a slew of other milestone events at schools including OPRF have hung in the balance because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, with schools nationwide fully reopened and mitigations now loosened, OPRF was able to plan its first prom since 2020.
“I’m just excited that our students get to experience something very ‘normal’ for a high school student to experience,” said Susan Johnson, director of student activities at OPRF.
When Johnson and her team first started planning prom in December, they wondered if they needed a back-up. At that time, the city of Chicago announced vaccine requirements for people ages 5 or older at various public places, including restaurants, bars, gyms and other entertainment venues.
“We knew we had to work that into our plans and how we collected information from students,” Johnson said. As the months progressed, local and state health officials started lifting COVID guidelines, including the indoor mask mandate. From there, Johnson and the school’s prom committee moved forward, booking the event room at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile and ironing out their dinner menu.
“We can do it without restrictions,” Johnson said about hosting this year’s prom. “It’s very exciting. We don’t have a limit on capacity. We don’t have things that are stopping them from going if they want to, and I can’t wait to see their smiling faces.”
Echoing Johnson, Demetrius and his classmates, Madeleine Niewoehner and Tia Ford, said they were looking forward to the dance, a milestone they knew other graduating classes were unable to have.
Demetrius Dortch stands for a photo on Saturday, May 14, 2022, during a prom send off party at the Oak Park Conservatory in Oak Park, Ill. | ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer 
Demetrius Dortch strands for a photo with his prom date on Saturday, May 14, 2022, during a prom send off party at the Oak Park Conservatory in Oak Park, Ill. | ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer 
Prom attendees get their photos taken on Saturday, May 14, 2022, during a prom send off party at the Oak Park Conservatory in Oak Park, Ill. | ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer 
Guests walk towards the party bus on Saturday, May 14, 2022, during a prom send off party at the Oak Park Conservatory in Oak Park, Ill. | ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
“I’m just blessed to be able to say that I’m going to prom,” said Ford, who served on this year’s prom committee with Niewoehner. “Two years ago, students were devastated because they were unable to have prom. Just the thought of it makes students feel good.”
Over the phone, on her way to a hair appointment, Ford told Wednesday Journal that she was wrapping up her sophomore year when the first wave of the pandemic hit, shuffling her and her classmates into months of remote learning. This year, she said, was her first full year back in the school building.
“It just gave me chills,” said Ford, reflecting on the last four years of high school. “It’s been new for all of us, new for me. The ups and downs. Through all the struggles because of COVID. But I’m happy the Class of 2022 pushed through, and we’re all going to be together.”
Niewoehner added she realized some of the pandemic’s impact when she started applying to colleges and the forms asked for recommendations from teachers who “know you best.”
“It’s hard because my last teachers that knew me were either freshman year or this year,” Niewoehner said over Zoom. While Niewoehner connected with some teachers right before her sophomore year was disrupted, she felt like those relationships were jeopardized during the pandemic.
Demetrius, too, said the pandemic strained his football season and impeded the recruiting process. Beyond that, his mother told the Journal their family lost a loved one to coronavirus, which took a toll on them.
For the Dortches, Ford and Niewoehner, prom was more than an event to show off their outfits (though Ford was eager to sport her sparkly blue gown and rainbow Christian Louboutin heels while Niewoehner wanted to flaunt her dress and matching glittery nails and dangling jewelry). To them, prom was about togetherness.
On May 14, around 5 p.m., Nieta Dortch and her family gathered at a small event room inside the Oak Park Conservatory, taking pictures of Demetrius who strolled in his royal blue attire matching the decor around him. His family rolled out a flashy blue carpet for Demetrius, which led to a glitzy photo backdrop, a “Prom Night” banner capping off the look. Demetrius’ friends followed afterward, their families behind them, capturing every moment.
Demetrius’ parents, aunts, cousins and family friends arrived at the conservatory earlier that afternoon to fix up the room with balloons and stars, all of which played off the colors of Demetrius’ wardrobe: blue, black and silver. The family laid out a food spread for all to enjoy.
As the hour drew closer to the dance, Nieta and other parents moved outside to watch their children board the party bus. Demetrius tossed his car keys to his father and headed to catch the bus, Nieta taking one last look at her son before he went off into the night.
