On Friday, March 20, the Sophomore Class Council, with the help of their advisors Mrs. Fisher and Mrs. Almodovar, as well as CRHS special education teachers, and Mr. Bajoros, a Health/Unified Sports teacher, worked together to host Unified Prom, an amazing event for students participating in the Unified program at CRHS and other high schools. Many Coginchaug teachers supported the event by attending with their families. The Coginchaug gym was packed. Mr. Bajoros described it best when he said, “My favorite part about Unified is seeing all the smiling faces.” And it was a sea of smiles! Together everyone worked to transform the gym and cafeteria to an Under the Sea theme.
For this very special event, both the gym and cafeteria were transformed into an Under the Sea wonderland. There were sea themed decorations everywhere, including in the photo booths, where guests had so much fun posing for silly photos with each other. Another backdrop option was in honor of World Down Syndrome Day where guests could take photos. The DJ played great music that got many of the guests dancing. Aaliyah Watson shared that, “Dancing with Marissa was really fun.” In the cafeteria, there was a temporary tattoo station with a variety of Under the Sea theme tattoo options, which was a huge hit with guests. For guests looking for a quieter option, coloring pages and the movie, Little Mermaid, were available.
When guests needed a break from all the fun, refreshments were served in the cafeteria. Sally’s Apizza donated 300 pizzas along with servers dressed as pirates who provided some additional entertainment, making the evening even more lively for the guests. Mrs. Fredericksen, Family/Consumer Science teacher, along with her students from Food and Wellness classes helped the Sophomore Class Council decorate shark themed cupcakes and make sea creature cookies.
When Unified students entered the school, they were thrilled. They loved getting their picture taken, dancing, and even hanging out with the surprise guest of the night, the Blue Devil. Clinton P., a CRHS Unified participant, said, “My favorite part about unified is dancing with the devil.” Ben Eddinger, the night’s Blue Devil, shared, “My favorite part about dressing up as the blue devil was bringing smiles to all of the kids’ faces.”
It was truly a special night for all the guests! As Bella Tosto said, “It’s a wonderful experience that we all get to get together with people from other schools and celebrate the Unified program.” The evening was not just about fun, but coming together as a community. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this event a success and something special for the Unified students.
