r Saturday night, April 28, Classroom 13 at Spanish Fork High School was decorated for Prom night for a special group of students, the special needs senior students at the school.
The table place settings and decorations were in the school colors of gold and black for 24 students. A serving table was arranged for the arrival of salad, pasta, and breadsticks donated by Olive Garden Restaurant. This was followed by water or lemonade to drink. Then the boutonnieres and wristlets which were the creation of Brandon Gardner’s Floriculture Class arrived. The classroom was ready.
It was around 5 o’clock when the special needs students started arriving. The boys had new pants, shirts and shoes as needed, and the girls had gotten their dresses from All Jazzed Up, a program donating dresses to girls in need. What a happy and handsome group of young people. As they entered the classroom each received their floral arrangement. This was an awesome event for this senior class of students with special individual challenges who are usually not included in major events such as Prom night.
This Special Needs Student Prom Night was the result of senior student and peer tutor Matti Tracy. She and the other special need tutors worked hard to assure an amazing Prom night experience for the Special Needs Students of Spanish Fork High School. They made arrangements for appropriate donated clothing, tickets to the Prom, and coordinated rides. Matti asked Olive Garden for a discount on the dinner meal and Manager Robert Lindo said that for this important cause they would donate the meal. That is wonderful community involvement by the Spanish Fork Olive Garden Restaurant. This is an example of good people helping the less privileged on Prom night.
Before the meal was served, the Special Needs Prom couples went to the school auditorium and were the first to march in the Promenade. This was a great opportunity for photos by proud parents. Then it was back to the classroom for dinner. The grand finale and for our special needs students, the most awesome event of all was the Prom night dance at UVU.
Being a parent of a special needs student has its special challenges, and it is a wonderful thought to think about how proud these parents on this night. The fact that this amazing evening was at the initiative of the senior peer tutors is a wonderful gesture of serving others. All the donations that were provided to pull off the evening’s events also make a wonderful statement about the people in our community. Witnessing an evening like this makes you feel good about the community we live in. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the Special Needs Prom Night for Spanish Fork High School.
