GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Green Bay Southwest seniors are breathing a sigh of relief thanks to a determined group of parents.

After finding out last year the school would not host any school dances, a group of parents is taking matters into their own hands. They are hosting an alternative senior ball or parent-sponsored ball for students.

“All of our children have suffered, says Sarah Troup, an organizer of the alternative ball. The class of 2021 is actually really unique in that they lost both their junior formal and their senior formal.”

Parents decided to hold the ball once the school year is over to avoid any school conflicts. Southwest’s graduation on June 6, and their senior ball is on June 10. The ball’s theme is “Under the Stars.”

“I am super, super excited. I am not usually much of a party person or a dance person. I’ve never been, but I did make an exception for this,” says Southwest senior Paige Lawrence. “I love seeing people dressed up and feeling confident and looking their best self.”

Organizing the ball hasn’t been easy. Since it isn’t an event sponsored by the school, students can not use any school resources like Zoom or Google Meet to discuss organizing the ball. Parents also are not allowed to use any of the money students have been raising at school dances for the past three years.

“For a long time, we didn’t see how anything would’ve been possible at all. We just are so grateful for the parents for coming forward and helping us with so much,” says Kendall Troup, student body president at Southwest.

“It feels really good to have the support of the parents. I feel like there’s just been, over the course of the whole year, a lack of empathy on the part of the school,” says Southwest senior Sean Nelson. “Being able to carry out a nice formal dance will be a really cool thing.”

The senior ball will be held on June 10 at 1951 West restaurant in Green Bay.

Students and parent organizers are planning a fundraiser at Austin’s Original grocery store on May 15 to help cover expenses for the ball. For more information on the fundraiser and the parent-sponsored ball, click here.