KILLEEN, Texas — Prom is back for students in Central Texas after being non-existent last year due to COVID-19. Starting back in April, local school districts began hosting proms, which they plan to continue this month.
Killeen ISD hosted a prom just for their special needs students on Saturday, which has become a community-wide event.
About 100 students from all KISD high schools and their parents gathered and danced at Shoemaker High School on Saturday for the district's annual Special Angels Prom.
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"To see that kind of joy and be able to bring that kind of joy to kids is very special," Micah Wells said, the principal at Shoemaker High School.
He said it's amazing to see how the community comes together to decorate, donate food, dresses, and suits, and everything they need to ensure students don't pay anything.
Wells said the event wouldn't be possible without Letha Reeves who came up with the idea to do a special needs prom four years ago.
"The love that she has for these kids it's truly amazing," Wells said.
Reeves who's an at-risk aide at Shoemaker High School said has been working with children in Special Olympics for 20 years and works closely with the special education department. She said she's glad her idea has come to life and it was so good to see the kids together having fun again.
"They miss their friends. Some of the kids that came back they had been virtual and they actually came that night and they were face-to-face," Reeves said.
At the Special Angels Prom, they don't vote for prom king and queen. Instead every student enters a drawing so everyone has a chance, and two students from every high school are crowned.
Both Wells and Reeves said they're incredibly thankful for the support of parents, staff and the community who help put this event together to make it a memorable night for the kids.
"Many of them feel more comfortable with their peers and so students that they normally go to school with every day, and to give them the ability to go to an event like this and cut loose and have a good time," Wells said.
"They don't have to worry about anybody looking at them different or making fun of them, they can be themselves," Reeves said. "If they dance wrong they dance wrong, if they skip they skip, because they're around their own peers and dress up and be themselves that's all that matters."
Their hope is that next year's prom is even bigger and better.