Lights flash and cameras click as seniors file into the room. Dressed in matching suits and floor-length gowns, everyone arrives masked up for an event like no other. Rather than the traditional dance floor and tables full of food, this prom features a stage and custom decks of cards for a special surprise.

To cap off this wild school year full of changes and many firsts, seniors celebrated the past four years with several events including a scavenger hunt, prom event and a decision day parade.

In mid-April, parents of seniors organized a scavenger hunt in which groups of students drove throughout Vernon Hills and took pictures in various places throughout the community. The goal of the event was to take the most creative pictures and gather the highest amount of points awarded by the parent judges.

Seniors took pictures with the VHPD, at City Works, in front of the Vernon Hills sign and at a variety of other popular spots in the community. After the scavenger hunt, participants gathered at the VHAC soccer field to socialize and listen to music.

“Overall it was really fun to plan out the pictures and getting to see how they turned out,” Bianca Zullo (12) said.

At the end of the event, the parents held a raffle and announced the scavenger hunt winners. According to a survey of 25 respondents taken by TSP, students who participated in the scavenger hunt were most excited to win prizes and enjoyed having the chance to spend time with their friends and peers who they have not seen in a while.

The team that won the scavenger hunt dressed up as different characters from Scooby-Doo to add some extra fun and creativity points.

“We decided to do a theme, which really made it fun. We even made a playlist of our favorite songs to drive around to,” Zullo said. “We definitely lived in the moment and had fun with it.”

On April 24, Student Council held the senior Masquerade Prom event at the Buffalo Grove Arboretum. Students signed up for a time slot with their friends and attended the one-hour event featuring music, photo booths and a performance by a magician.

Several students even got the chance to assist the magician with a few of the tricks, including Brent Mueller (12). The trick he performed featured a disappearing plastic egg, and his success shocked both him and the audience, and was followed by a loud round of applause.

“This was pretty cool since I was able to perform the trick myself, and [it was] the highlight of the event for me,” Mueller said.

Based on responses from the TSP survey, students mostly enjoyed taking pictures prior to the event, dancing while the DJ played music and socializing with friends. In total, almost 200 seniors attended.

“The magician somewhat salvaged the prom event, although I wasn’t expecting, as a freshman, that I would have a magician at my prom,” Mueller said. “His coolest trick was the last trick he performed. He drew a bowling ball on a pad of paper and then a random bowling ball dropped straight from the pad of paper out of nowhere.”

Despite the challenge of COVID-19 restrictions, Student Council managed to plan an event that gave seniors a chance to have fun and celebrate their final months at VHHS.

“At the end of the day the goal was to try to do a safe event, following the CDC and IDPH guidelines, but also listening to the seniors…[we wanted] it to be fun,” Student Activities Director, Dr. Deborah Beagle, said.