Prom Day!

Yesterday was prom at Laradon. Yay!

Getting ready:
These last few weeks were spent picking outfits for our kids from the large array of prom dresses that had been donated to the school. Having our kids tolerate getting the dresses fitted proved to be a bit of a circus act, but pretty soon everyone was set with their prom attire. I didn't realize the joys of pulling a dance together until I had to help -- er, I mean, got to help ;-) with painting the backdrop for the theme "New York, New York." After the prom committee spent the week corralling all the staff into decorating, we had the gym looking like New York City by the time prom snuck up on us (some staff even volunteered to tag the gym to make it more authentic New York, but no one took them up on that idea). :-)

The big day:
We didn't really know what to expect, since each day seems to be different with our kids. My main hope was that my student would stay safe (since she doesn't like people in her space). For me and my student, the morning schedule was: get off the bus, eat a snack, swing outside, eat a snack, swing again, put on prom dress, another snack, lay in the sun. It was all very exciting ;-).

Finally prom time actually arrived. Chipotle donated food, which I couldn't eat because of my silly food allergies, but my student ate her share and mine :-). When she began to get playful with her food, I decided we best get to the dance. The minute we entered the gym, my student seemed to enjoy herself even more. She danced off her lunch, and then we sat on the side watching everyone else. It was also fun to see the parents and siblings who had joined in on the day.

When my student signed to me that she was finished, we went back out to the playground and sat in the sun for the rest of the afternoon. Although I was worn out at the end of it all, it turned out to be a pretty good prom day.

The Rocky Mountain News was there to cover the event (to bring awareness to the community about students with developmental disabilities). So, if you'd like to check out the article, you can go to: Puttin' on the Ritz at Laradon