GBSD Hosts Annual “Happiest Dance on Earth!”
Special Education students in the region gather for dancing and fun
Each year, the Gresham-Barlow School District hosts a post-New Year's dance for special education students across Portland. The event lets students relax, be silly and dance! Winners of the dance competitions took home prizes. Students also enjoyed a photo booth, face painting, and caricature drawings.
Sam Barlow High School's Learning Essentials 1 (LE1) educational assistant, Renni Ferguson, leads the event. She makes sure it is as much like a typical high school dance as possible with lowlights, great music, and dancing.
"Our [special education] students are excited to see old friends and enjoy the company of student volunteers," said Ferguson. "In addition, the general education students who volunteer learn how students with special needs are just like any teenager.
Special thanks to Gateway Gresham Elks Lodge for their significant donation and providing a location. We'd also like to recognize the efforts of GBSD students. Sam Barlow High School's Barlow Life Skills program and Barlow Leadership, under the direction of April Anderson, were instrumental in the event's success.