At Ridley High School, when this year’s senior prom stopped being in-person because of the pandemic, the teenagers did what they do best–they adapted and improvised, writes Cassie Owens for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The May 29 Ridley prom was an 80-minute broadcast hundreds of students watched from home.  They compensated for not being together by hosting small parties, dressing in elegant prom ware and sharing the experience virtually.

Senior class president Mario Costa entertained 12 guests from school in his back yard, with everyone watching the celebration on a big screen.

“It’s such a different experience,” Costa said. He and his friends didn’t know they wouldn’t be back to school on their last day in the school building. “It’s still nice to have something that we did.”

A traditional prom is still hoped for later in the summer.

In the meantime, a backdrop for students to have photos taken hung near an adult table at the backyard Ridley party.

All over,cancelled proms have been replaced with family celebrations, virtual parties on social media or video conferencing and prom-themed clips on Tik-Tok.

Phones document the occasion and the hashtag #tiktokprom, had unprecedented engagement, 2.5 billion views.

Read more about this year’s proms here.

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