For most teenagers, prom is a given. A rite of passage penciled in on the calendar years in advance. The dress. The photos. The dance floor. It is one of those milestones that is simply expected to happen. But there are parents who quietly keep a different kind of list. The milestones their child might not reach. The ones they stop mentioning out loud because it hurts too much to hope. For one ALL Academy parent, prom was one of them.
“All of the milestone moments that Matthew didn’t get to experience and won’t get to experience hit like a freight train sometimes,” said Jennifer, Matthew’s mom. “Prom was on that list. Then May 6 happened.”
ALL Academy’s gym became something out of a dream. Glowing jellyfish hung from the ceiling. Streamers lined the walls in the school’s colors. A DJ kept the music going as nearly 50 students arrived dressed up, excited, and ready to celebrate. It was ALL Academy’s very first prom.
It did not happen by accident. There are unified proms in the area, but for many ALL Academy students, walking into an unfamiliar space with unfamiliar people is its own kind of barrier. So the Special Events Committee, a group of special education teachers, speech language pathologists, and a gym teacher, spent months building one instead.
The sensory room off the gym stayed open all day. Lights were kept low. Headphones and fidgets were available. Games and crafts sat alongside the dance floor for students who weren’t into dancing. Staff volunteers showed up with balloon art, decorations, and goodies they had made themselves. The under the sea theme was chosen to match ALL Academy’s colors. Every student who walked through that door had a way to be part of the day.
Among the crowd were faces some hadn’t seen in a while. Alumni had been invited back and a handful came. When they walked in, old friends found each other. There was dancing, laughter, catching up. It was a reminder that the community ALL Academy builds does not end at graduation.
“When I picked Matthew up, he was wearing half the clothes he went in because he had gotten so hot tearing up the dance floor,” Jennifer said.
For the educators who made it happen, the day meant something beyond the dance floor. “These students, no matter their needs, deserve to celebrate themselves, their accomplishments, and their transition to adulthood,” one committee member said.
It was a belief that showed in every detail of the day, and in the faces of the people who were there to see it.
“Watching students walk into that gym and just be kids, dancing, laughing, reconnecting with friends they hadn’t seen in months, that’s what this is all about,” said Dr. Riggi, ALL Academy Principal. “These students belong in every chapter of growing up. Every single one.”
“He had an amazing time,” Jennifer said. “But not more amazing than the time I had watching him do something I never dreamed he would do. Many days are hard. Prom was wonderful.”
Moments like these are made possible by the generosity of the Aspire community. If you would like to help ALL Academy continue creating experiences that students and families will carry with them as milestone moments, we invite you to make a gift today.