A group of students from 15 different Miami-Dade public high schools brought their dancing shoes and dressed in their very best for a Parisian inspired prom.
“It’s very nice, very fancy,” said Justin Cardi, a student at Coral Reef Senior High.
“I feel we’re at the Academy Awards and all of our students are getting Oscars,” said teacher Alana Simpson.
The prom was being held for 500 autistic students from the 15 different schools. The teachers said the best part of the event is getting to watch their students interact, dance, and just have a good time with students from different schools.
“A lot of them know that they share something in common,” said Kenneth Waugh, a paraprofessional at Miami Norland Senior High. “I just love to sit back and observe and watch them have fun.”
The prom even featured a king and a queen and both students who won the top honor were more than ready to show off their dance moves.
“On a day-to-day basis, they’re in such a structured environment, this is a day that they can just let loose,” Waught said.
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The prom even had a professional photographer documenting the unforgettable experience for the teens.
“It’s just breathtaking, it really is. Cause you just feel like crying sometimes because like one of the kids says I’m so excited,” Sipmson said.
“They really meet and exceed expectations that we set for them every day, so we’re happy to provide them with this opportunity,” said Marie Izquierdo, chief academic officer of Miami-Dade Public Schools.
It’s an opportunity and a memory that many of the students and others involved will remember for a lifetime.
