Connected mentors go ‘under the sea’ to provide special prom experience
The glamorous night glimmers on the horizon as students prepare to dazzle and dance the entire night away. While prom is the most anticipated night of the year for some, others’ spirits grow gloomy as the flashing lights and blasting music does not provide an ideal environment. Every student deserves this high school milestone, leaving students ecstatic to experience the magic on a smaller scale.
On Saturday, April 13, West was joined by Neenah High School for the first ever Connected Prom. Students volunteered to be peer mentors and attend the event, working alongside special education teacher Stephanie Polak to organize the night.
“This was an event for those with special needs in which a regular prom would be too sensory. It was geared towards students who have a disability and were interested in attending a prom,” Polak said.
This was West’s first time hosting a prom of this great of scale for students with special needs. However, Polak’s interest sparked after small-scale proms from past springs.
“We’ve done smaller dances in the past and we saw an unbelievable benefit. The kids had a great time, and we wanted to do something a little bigger,” she said. “Neenah reached out to us because some of their friends talked to peers at West about doing something similar, which is how we started partnering and planning together back in the fall.”
Planning the event was a smooth process as Polak was assisted by many helping hands along the way between Neenah and the Connected club at West. After being in the works since early autumn, nothing was more rewarding than seeing the crowds of smiling faces.
“We had close to a hundred different attendees. This year, we hosted and Neenah High School came to us, but next year we’re going to rotate and go to Neenah,” she said.
The peer mentors at West came from the Connected club, a group anyone is welcome to join by expressing interest to Polak. Their main objective is to unify all within the walls of West, and make every student feel special. While they join with the intentions of warming hearts, their own social skills flourish as well.
“These students really want to get involved with their fellow students,” Polak said. “This promotes great communication skills and social skills. They just want to be involved because they want to be involved and interact with all their classmates.”
Even those who couldn’t attend the actual prom itself were sure to get in on the action in any way possible. Their dedication to bringing the event to life on behalf of their peers makes Polak feel great pride to be involved in the West student community.
“There were so many sporting events that night, those that weren’t able made sure they were here early so that they could help in any way they could, and they were seeking donations. It was really neat seeing them come together to create an event without me telling them what to do every step of the way.”
Among those setting up in advance was sophomore Ava Pamer. She felt especially honored to bring her visions, which have been vividly dancing throughout her mind for the last few months, to life.
“Before the prom even started to truly come together, Mrs. Polak asked me for ideas of different themes to do, which is how we came up with the Under The Sea theme,” she said. “For setting up, we just did whatever was needed. This included running to the room to grab things, setting up the arch, and putting up the lights.”
The Connected students experienced the true magic once they started interacting with their peers. Throughout the night, Connected members danced with and assisted prom attendees. The bonds were so genuine, making everyone beam so bright under the lights.
“It was really neat to see the benefits on both sides, for the peer mentors and students with a disability alike,” Polak said. “It gave them the opportunity to have a normal prom like everyone else, just on a smaller scale that we could control a bit more.”
Pamer emphasizes the importance of allowing opportunities for every student within West’s walls.
“I think it’s really important because it shows that we’re all together, we’re all one,” she said.
The night was extremely authentic, with everyone wearing dazzling outfits and swaying to the DJ’s beats.
“I was so excited to see everybody dressed up so pretty,” Polak said. “The smiles on all the faces made it totally worth it.”
Above all else, the peer interaction made for an exceptional night. The effortless flow of positivity and light from student to student left Polak in awe.
“There were adult chaperones there, but there wasn’t much of anything for them to do besides stand in the background. The peer mentors had a genuinely great time. They were interacting so naturally and truly had a blast,” she said.
Polak’s praise extends beyond gratitude, as the connections formed warmed her with great pride.
“I cannot emphasize enough how impressed I was with the student body and peer mentors here at Oshkosh West,” she said. “They went above and beyond between coming up with ideas and decorating; they worked so hard to make the space look beautiful.”
As the first combined prom with Neenah High School, this event provided a great foundation, laying roots for the future.
“I was so happy with how well this prom went, it was truly unbelievable,” Polak said. “Looking forward, I think it could get bigger and better, and I have so many ideas. I really want to go off-site rather than here at school, to make the experience more like an actual prom. It’s a really big goal we have for the years to come.”
by Jazmine Blustin
Published April 29 2024
Oshkosh West Index Volume 120 Issue VII