Waukesha South Students Organize Unofficial Homecoming Dance

WAUKESHA,WI— A group of students from Waukesha South High School plan to hold an unofficial homecoming dance in November after their scheduled dance was canceled due to the pandemic. A GoFundMe page was set up last week by a Waukesha South student to pay for the venue, speakers and decorations.

"This pandemic has taken a huge toll on our high school experience as it is," the GoFundMe post said. "With school every other day, and having to navigate through a multitude of websites to maintain steady grades in an unchanged, and unadapted curriculum. It's stressful."

The fundraiser post said seniors were already "deprived" of their junior prom. Patch reached out to the student who created the post but had not heard back as of Thursday.

The student-organized event is being held Nov. 21 at the Waukesha Elks Lodge, 2301 Springdale Road, Waukesha.

"With all the changes happening in laws about gatherings and social distancing, we are prepared for everything," the GoFundMe posting said. "After the latest mandate we are still on track of holding the event, however if something were to change we will be donating the money to The National Alliance for Mental Health to help the teenage mental health affected negatively by the pandemic."

According to a WISN 12 News report, staff at Elks Lodge said they will require masks and a maximum of 50 people in a facility that has a capacity for 450.

Patch reached out to the district, which released the following statement:

"Neither Waukesha South High School nor the School District of Waukesha is endorsing the planned Homecoming event, or the GoFundMe created. The District is working consistently to remind our kids, families, and community that we need to stay vigilant with our mitigation strategies at school, at home, and in the community to keep moving forward together. "

Coronavirus concerns

The cases of coronavirus continue to increase.

There are 22 student and eight staff coronavirus cases in the Waukesha School District, according to the district's website. There are 415 students and 56 staff members quarantined.

Waukesha South has the highest number of cases in the school district, with 10 student coronavirus cases and 125 students being quarantined. For Waukesha South staff, there is one coronavirus case and nine being quarantined.

The district has drawn attention regarding its plan, which began Oct. 19, to increase in-person learning for middle and high school students to four days a week. Prior to Monday, middle and high school students were using a hybrid model, attending in person two days a week and doing virtual learning from home the other three days.

Parents expressed concern about the reopening plans at an Oct. 14 school board meeting. The school board is to determine at the Nov. 11 meeting if it is safe to return to a full five days of in-person learning.

A Change.org petition was created to request "gating criteria" from the district. The petition, which has had 756 signatures, is asking what data is being used to support the change in mode of instruction.

The petition said, "Adding any more students will compromise the teacher's ability to monitor proper mask wearing, social distancing and overall safety. Teachers currently feel semi-confident in their ability to monitor safety in these smaller groups, but will need more support if that student to teacher ratio is increased."

Gov. Tony Evers announced Wednesday that the state Department of Health Services reported the highest single-day coronavirus death count — 48 — and the first patient admitted to the Alternate Care Facility at Wisconsin State Fair Park, which serves as the overflow facility for hospitals across the state, according to a news release.

Another 4,205 new coronavirus cases were reported, according to the DHS dashboard.

Go Fund Me is a Patch promotional partner.