Prom was canceled, but these high school boys made sure the girls still got flowers
Despite prom being postponed due to coronavirus, the boys of the senior class at one Indianapolis high school still found a way to be dream dates.
On Saturday, the senior boys of Bishop Chatard High School delivered about 120 flower bouquets to surprised "dates." The bouquets, delivered to every girl in the senior class. came with handwritten notes including, "Every girl deserves flowers on prom night. Thanks for being a good friend" and "You are the first person I have ever asked to a dance -- the biggest bummer about coronavirus is not getting to take you to prom."
"Some of the guys were talking about doing something special for their girlfriends," said Sam Richey, one of the seniors who helped deliver about 20 bouquets. "Then we just wanted to know if we could do something for [every girl]."
Inspired by a conversation with another mom, parent Amy Beausir used her local flower arrangement business to provide the prom bouquets.
"We have a very small family business … we grow, pack and organize flowers," said Beausir, owner of Molly & Myrtle. "We had about 10 parents [who] helped organize the deliveries so that all the deliveries could be personal, with social distancing of course."
The group of seniors and parents pulled the surprise together in just four days, according to Beausir. Soon, every senior girl had a bouquet and a brighter day.
"The girls were just so bouncy, happy and thrilled because a lot of them didn’t know that they were coming," said Beausir. "Every girl, even if she didn’t get asked to prom, got prom flowers."
"I always say that flowers are the next best thing to a hug and means even more now because we can’t hug," she added.
For now, Bishop Chatard plans on hosting an in-person prom at a later, safer date.
"It’s a bummer being a senior, of course, but the bigger picture is safety," Richey said. "I still miss seeing my friends and being able to see everybody before going to college … that stinks," the senior, who plans on attending Purdue University in the fall, added.
According to Richey, the gesture was meant to lift spirits and still make a memory amid an unfortunate situation.
"We never thought it would get this [much attention] because this feels like a small gesture, just to appreciate all of the girls," he said. "It makes us really happy that we can still spread joy."