{"id":93357,"date":"2017-04-27T10:03:49","date_gmt":"2017-04-27T14:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/?p=93357"},"modified":"2021-04-15T17:15:12","modified_gmt":"2021-04-15T21:15:12","slug":"prom-time-spring-fling-buddy-ball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2017\/04\/27\/prom-time-spring-fling-buddy-ball\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Prom Time at the Spring Fling Buddy Ball"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Laker Lutz News<\/a><\/h2>\n

Kathy Steele<\/p>\n

\"prom-Hannah-Collins-and-Angel-22Rocky22-Rivera-rgb-300x243\"<\/a>Octavia Frost sat patiently through make-up and hair styling, as her Best Buddies\u2019 student volunteer, Zyandria Vega, created just the right look for a special occasion \u2013 the Spring Fling Buddy Ball.<\/p>\n

She wore a dark blue gown of her choosing for the annual prom at Wesley Chapel High School.<\/p>\n

And, when she walked into the school\u2019s gymnasium, Frost, 18, was no wallflower. She and dozens of her classmates, who attend exceptional student education (ESE) classes, had a grand, joyful prom.<\/p>\n

The fourth annual prom for \u201cstudents with exceptionalities\u201d actually was Frost\u2019s second prom.<\/p>\n

And, the second time around, she knew what to expect.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave more fun, play around and talk with my friends,\u201d the Wesley Chapel junior said.<\/p>\n

For three hours, nearly 80 ESE students celebrated a traditional right of passage for high school students.<\/p>\n

They posed at the photo booth manned by Best Buddies students, Hannah Collin and Ethan Gelinas. The two journalism students took a break from their usual duties of taking annual yearbook photos to volunteer for prom duty.<\/p>\n

A musical selection from Peggy Roski \u2013 \u201cDJ extraordinaire\u201d \u2013 filled the high school\u2019s gymnasium with the beats and rhythms that had everyone moving. There was the Chicken Dance, Silento\u2019s \u201cWatch Me (Whip\/Nae Nae),\u201d the glide, and fan favorite selections from the Village People and Taylor Swift.<\/p>\n

Phoebe Enering, 15, showed off her knee-length cocktail-style dress.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandmother helped me pick it out,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"prom-group-dancing-rgb-300x177\"<\/a>The prom began after parents lobbied to give their children the kind of memories that most students take for granted. Staff members at Wesley Chapel donated gowns and prom wear for boys. The fancy duds now can be found in the school\u2019s ABC Closet.<\/p>\n

And, Best Buddies also is aiding with fundraising efforts for the prom.<\/p>\n

The Best Buddies club encourages students to forge friendships with students with disabilities. Club members also help with Special Olympics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been getting better and better every year,\u201d said Anna Simpson, a paraprofessional transitional assistant for the ESE program.<\/p>\n

The prom was from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., to make it easy for students and their parents to attend. Students from age 15 to 22 came to the prom.<\/p>\n

Many students meet initially in kindergarten, and move onto middle and high school together, Simpson said. \u201cA lot of the kids are like family,\u201d she said. \u201cThe families of the students get together at special events. They\u2019ve been doing this since kindergarten.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

To read the full story click here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Octavia Frost sat patiently through make-up and hair styling, as her Best Buddies\u2019 student volunteer, Zyandria Vega, created just the right look for a special occasion \u2013 the Spring Fling Buddy Ball. She wore a dark blue gown of her choosing for the annual prom at Wesley Chapel High School. And, when she walked into the school\u2019s gymnasium<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":93358,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"blog-news-single-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82,676],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-news-archive"],"yoast_head":"\nIt\u2019s Prom Time at the Spring Fling Buddy Ball - Best Buddies International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2017\/04\/27\/prom-time-spring-fling-buddy-ball\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"It\u2019s Prom Time at the Spring Fling Buddy Ball - Best Buddies International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Octavia Frost sat patiently through make-up and hair styling, as her Best Buddies\u2019 student volunteer, Zyandria Vega, created just the right look for a special occasion \u2013 the Spring Fling Buddy Ball. 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