School’s mission to have ‘meaningful’ Year 12 formal

FORMALS had been banned, but now they will be allowed and planning is under way.

Trinity Catholic College in Lismore is looking to hold a school formal later this year.

SCHOOL formals are back on the cards from November 12, dependent on COVID-19 case numbers.

Formals had previously been banned, but will now be allowed after the last HSC exam.

The decision caused outrage at the time with one online petition receiving more than 50,000 signatures.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said it was important to reduce disruption to the final exams and it was great students could still celebrate once the exams had concluded.

"With less than six weeks to the start of the HSC exams, students can focus on their final studies knowing that there will be official opportunities to celebrate their schooling," Ms Mitchell said.

"Students should restrict the number of guests they bring to graduation events, and schools are encouraged to live-stream these ceremonies for anyone not able to attend."

One Northern Rivers school, Trinity Catholic College in Lismore, is looking forward to allowing students to celebrate their school year.

"Trinity Catholic College Lismore will be holding a Year 12 Graduation formal," principal Brother John Hilet said.

"We will of course be following very closely the COVID-19 safe measures as announced by the NSW Department of Health and all the attendees will be required to abide by these guidelines.

"While the guidelines are quite restricted, we will do our best within these guidelines to provide a meaningful and memorable event for our graduating class."

The guidelines for school formals ask schools and students to "only allow dancing with partners from outside the school community if partners are from the same local community and have an established relationship and normally socialises with the student cohort."

Other guidelines include maintaining social distance, providing your own pen for yearbook signings, restrict tables to ten people and hold dancefloors outside or in well-ventilated areas.