Mundy’s Mill High School senior Christina Jackson already had a shimmery teal floor-length gown in her closet but up until a week before prom in May she was not sure that she would make an appearance. After watching video blogs of students at other schools enjoying their prom, she changed her mind.
“I didn’t realize how cool it was,” Christina said to her mother Jeanine Jackson, who was using a flat iron to straighten and curl Christina’s thick hair for the night’s big event. “You should have convinced me! Then I would have been on point.”
Jeanine Jackson admits she is a little frustrated that Christina waited until the last minute..
“I was a social butterfly,” said Jackson about her high school experience. “But then again, there was no such thing as coronavirus.”
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Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Jeanine Jackson attended prom during her sophomore, junior and senior years of high school in the 1980s. “Dang you had a different date for all three of them?” Christina asked her mother. “I sure did,” Jeanine answered.
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Christina prepares her make-up for her senior prom. This was her first time getting dressed up for a formal event. She searched the Web to help her create her look. She was elated when she finished. Her mother was impressed too.
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Christina Jackson, right, Kirsten Culpeper, center, and Makhia Mosley pose for a photo during Mundy’s Mill prom Friday. Masks were strongly encouraged.
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The coronavirus pandemic has meant a nontraditional year for the Class of 2021, and even more so for Clayton County students. The district is the only one in metro Atlanta that didn’t offer in-person learning for high schoolers this school year.
Shantae Alexander, the 12th-grade counselor at Mundy’s Mill High School, said when staff was given permission to host a prom for their students, they jumped on the opportunity.
“Our senior sponsor, Mrs. Ashante Griffin, took the ball, and she did a 100-meter dash,” says Alexander. “ They were like this is what the kids want, and we want to at least be able to give them some sense of normalcy for their senior year.”
Like any other prom, there were sparkly dresses, limos and dates. But, there also were face masks and face shields.
At the entrance, attendees’ temperatures were checked .
Mundy’s Mill High School senior Sherman Franklin arrived in a limo with his date and a few of their friends.
“I just want to have fun,” said the student-athlete who will attend BlueField State College on a wrestling scholarship. “I am not expecting anything crazy. Because if you expect nothing, whatever you get, you’re going to enjoy.”
Sherman and his friends took multiple photos at the photo booth and unabashedly danced to F.L.Y.’s “Swag Surfin’.”
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Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Barber Michael Charity watches as Sherman Franklin checks out his sideburns at First Impressions Barber Shop in Riverdale. Sherman was apprehensive to get his facial hair cut, but he decided he looked good and kept the style.
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Karen Rhodes helps her son Sherman look his best before attending prom. She is a proud mother. “He’s so responsible,” said Rhodes through tears. “He got a scholarship and so many achievements.”
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Sherman, center, cheers on one of his peers as an impromptu dance circle is formed during Mundy’s Mill High School prom at Cha’le Gardens in Riverdale.
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Sherman and his date, Raven Mosely, pose at the photo booth during prom. Students were allowed to take endless photos at the station.
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Every so often teachers could be seen hugging their students and students hugging their peers.
They were elated to finally be in the same space, physically.
Christina Jackson met with her friends when she arrived and spent the night enjoying their company, the food and the decorations.
“It was more than I was expecting,” she said. “There was a lot of space outdoors and a lot of places to take photos.”
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Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@
Mundy’s Mill High School prom attendees mingle near the lake at Cha’le Gardens which sits on 3 acres of land in Riverdale.
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Mundy’s Mill High School teacher Charity Purvis-Jordan, right, takes a photo of a group of students during prom.
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Senior Amaria Harvey twirls in her red tulle gown during Mundy’s Mill High School prom.
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Teacher Vickie Occhipinti gives senior Salimya Harding a hug at prom. Harding was a student in Occhipinti’s journalism class this year. “The entire class became close, and so when I saw her in person I just had to give her a big hug,” said Occhipinti. ”
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Choral director and 12th grade sponsor Ashante Griffin crowns senior Darnell Springer 2021 prom king during Mundy’s Mill High School prom.
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After the senior prom king and queen were crowned, students began to leave, grabbing their gift bags and thanking faculty and staff.
One milestone of high school had been preserved, and they look forward to one more: graduation.
