Carbon Career and Technical Institute’s decision to invite all students in grades 9-12 to its prom for the second consecutive year drew mixed reaction Thursday night when the issue was brought before the school’s joint operating committee.

After comments on both sides of the debate, CCTI Principal Brent Borzak said there was no hidden agenda and the school simply wanted to be inclusive.

“I want everyone to be part of our school,” Borzak said. “Last year we included everyone and it went great. It was a beautiful event and there are not many times we can all get together like that. We heard no complaints and we thought, why not do it again.”

CCTI’s joint operating committee took no action Thursday night to change its stance regarding prom.

Senior Bradyn Shelly has been one of the most vocal students advocating limiting the prom to just CCTI juniors and seniors, meaning the only way a freshman or sophomore could attend would be as a date.

“As a senior, this decision is, in my opinion, very disrespectful for everyone who had to wait until their senior year to attend prom,” Shelly said. “I would have loved to attend as a freshman but I knew it wasn’t my turn.”

As it did last year, CCTI again plans to pay for each student’s prom ticket. The event is scheduled for May 20 at Penn’s Peak.

Senior Hailey Anthony said she has no problem with underclassmen attending prom and CCTI’s willingness to pay for the tickets may give some students an opportunity to go when they otherwise would not have had that chance.

“Not every school pays for prom tickets and this may not happen every year, so why take this chance away from the underclassmen?” Anthony said. “We are all students here and should be able to enjoy prom together. COVID-19 put a damper on every student’s life and prom is a night that the underclassmen deserve as much as the seniors do.”

Others, such as Edward Sterling, however, supported Shelly’s point of view.

“I don’t know where you got the idea of allowing the freshmen and sophomores in,” he told CCTI’s joint operating committee and administration. “Nobody else does it like that around here. In fact, in some of the cities, you only have the seniors invited.”

Since CCTI isn’t a very large school, senior class adviser Sandi Kohutka said it makes it all the more reasonable for all students to get an invite.

“We see prom as an event where we can showcase our seniors, but not an event that has to be exclusive for seniors,” Kohutka said. “I was a little distressed to hear people say that the culmination of 12 years of hard work is to attend a senior only prom. I would like to think 12 years of hard work is paying off with a trade learned, an award at senior night, acceptance to a college or trade school, and most importantly a diploma.”

While Borzak and Kohutka stressed inclusion, Angela Shelly, Bradyn’s mom, said there are times when that isn’t the proper move.

“Exclusion is an essential concept that everyone needs to learn,” she said. “It happens all the time in the real world. People who have been with a company longer than others get perks. People earn those perks through longevity, much like seniors earned the perks of prom.”

Marlena Ahner, another CCTI senior, said students who don’t like the school’s decision can attend their sending school’s prom, rent a place to have their own event, or simply not go to prom at all.

“This is supposed to be a fun night everyone can enjoy,” Ahner said. “If it isn’t broke, I don’t think we should fix it. We are all students here. From day one, we are told everyone should be treated equally so why not make this equal?”