Education
ASD Special Needs Students receive ‘Star Treatment’ at prom
Elizabeth Spencer | Lehi Free Press
“Tonight is like a fairytale come true,” stated Camelot Pẽna about the red carpet treatment she received at the Alpine School District annual specialty prom. Lehi High School hosted the “stars” for the evening with a Hollywood theme. Students 16-22 years put their best foot forward in their formals for a night they will never forget.
“This is such a wonderful opportunity for students who might not have a prom experience in a traditional high school … to have that experience with their peers and to have fun dancing just having a prom type experience,” said Karen Ashman, Communications Specialist for ASD. “It is so fun to watch the kids see their friends get all dressed up and spend time dancing.”
The special prom has been a tradition for specialty schools in the district since 2010. Students plan and prepare the event. The responsibility to organize rotates between schools, including the Alpine Transition and Education Center. Students between 18 and 22 years old who attend ATEC and ATEC West learn independent living, community employment, and education and training at school. Students at Dan Peterson and Horizon schools were also invited to participate. The two schools serve students with disabilities from age 3 through post-high school.
Students played DJ, choosing their favorite tunes for the night. Ryan Hemming, Principal of Dan Peterson School; and Dan Heaps, Principal at Horizon, took the stage singing a “One Direction” song while the crowd went wild.
“We look at certain points of our school year and moments we highlight, and this is one of the big ones. This goes up there with our graduation and some of the other events that we do. It’s just one of the highlights of the year for us,” shared Hemming.
Stacy Bateman, a parent and community member, remarked, “We love helping kids and putting on a special night for them. We have a lot of community partners who are really generous with their time. We just feel really lucky to be a part of giving them a fun night to come and celebrate with their friends.”
Numerous businesses and people donated their time to make the evening a success. Lehi High School donated its space, a local print shop made a banner with Hollywood stars—including the attendees’ names, photographers took glamour shots—and Crumbl provided cookies. “It really is just the best of our community coming together,” added Bateman.
The prom looks like any other prom, with a king and queen chosen. American Fork Junior High hosted the event in years past, but since it has become so popular—actually doubling in size last year—it required a larger venue, now being held at Lehi High School.
Cooper Tarwater is 21 years old. He said his favorite thing was the Crumbl cookies. He is a huge Hugh Jackman fan and wants to be a performer, so this year’s theme was perfect for him.
This year was Zachary Paxman’s first prom. He likes to dance and said, “I love it here. I’m glad I got to come here because I have never been here before.”
Tama Fonoimoana is a senior, so this was his last prom. He said, “I like dancing and spinning around.”
Camille Helmick teaches at ATEC East. “I think a night like this is important because it’s a great way for this community to come together. I think there are not a lot of opportunities in our communities where people with disabilities can so easily come and be themselves and be around a lot of their peers. So this is a special opportunity for the students to come and be with their friends.” Helmick continued, “I also think it’s a really great opportunity for parents to kind of mingle a little bit and just take a breath and relax because they’re among people who understand.”
“We love that they get to have access to the same kind of fun and events as any other student; that they get to do it in a place that’s safe and they can be themselves and have a party, get out and have fun. Sometimes, these events are readily accessible to them, and we make it so that any of them can come,” stated Hemming.
