Attending high school dances are a normal part of adolescence. However, Life Skills students may miss out on these experiences. Thankfully, on February 11, 2016, several PALs hosted a Valentine’s Day dance to help these students enjoy themselves among their family and peers.

The dance was organized by junior Rylee Dusenberry, junior Jazelle Santos, junior Crystal Cruz and senior Victoria Vansickle, and me. The varsity softball team and other PALs also attended the dance. These students helped set up the dance studio and stayed to dance along with the students.

“My favorite part about the dance was seeing how many people showed up for it and participated with the special needs students,” senior Eleyna Ogg said

Mrs. Carrie Hill’s family and community service students helped to create a charming backdrop for all of the students to take pictures in front of. The dance studio was littered with Christmas lights and bright pink and red hearts. There was also plenty of food for everyone who attended. There was even a candy bar where patrons could scoop a variety of candy into small decorated bags.

“The decorations were elegant while fun at the same time. There wasn’t too much going on at once,” Dusenberry said.

Overall, the dance was a huge success. The students had fun dancing with one another, eating food and taking silly pictures with their peers. Everyone who attended can agree that it was very heart-warming to see one another enjoying themselves.

“I enjoyed watching the life skills students dance with each other and seeing them outside of their classrooms,” Cruz said.

In the end, everyone deserves to have memorable experiences in high school. This dance allowed for these students to enjoy themselves in a comfortable environment. This will no doubt be a great memory for all of the attendees and will lead to greater expectations for next year’s dance.