Hillcrest High student Javier Garcia admitted his feet hurt, but he wasn’t going to stop dancing.

“Dancing with Abbi is the best part, but I liked the arcade and food too,” the freshman said about his date while attending Canyons School District’s first unified prom.

He knows Hillcrest sophomore Abbi Clark as a peer tutor. She also is a unified sports partner.

“Being with all the kids and watching them have fun is what tonight’s all about,” she said. “A bunch of us went to the Nickel Arcade together beforehand and played all the games. It’s great that they’re getting to have this opportunity.”

While individual students pushed for a districtwide unified dance the past few years, it was Corner Canyon’s Peer Leadership Team and adviser Kelsie Wilson who were able to get the nod and coordinated the efforts for the dance. It was held in Sandy’s Lone Peak Park Pavilion shortly before the end of the school year.

Corner Canyon senior Natalie Lawson was part of that team.

“I became a peer tutor as a sophomore and fell in love with the students in the class,” she said. “They’re always happy and in turn, they make me happy and grateful. Being a part of this effort is a way I can give back to them. We had other schools’ PLT reach out to help so it really united the community.”

Lawson asked her date, junior Jonas Osterhout, to the prom through a poster. He replied affirmatively the same way.

“It’s part of the tradition and fun to make and leave a poster at the door of your date, so I wanted him to have the same experience,” she said. “He’s getting the whole dance experience. A small group of us went bowling today, then we’ve had food, popcorn, cotton candy and danced here tonight. This is a better experience for these students than just attending the first hour or so of a school dance where it’s loud and it gets late so it’s not as much fun for them.”

When the dance was scheduled to be over, Osterhout didn’t want to leave. He insisted on photo after photo with all his friends, taken by his father, who was there to get him home.

“He loves being social,” his father Devin Osterhout said. “This is a blessing in our lives that he is getting to be at this dance with his friends. He loves to spin (in his wheelchair) and he’s so happy. These kids are his heroes.”

Jordan High student Cheyenne Patrick also was there at the end of the prom.

“This party was a jam,” said the senior who has a 20-year-old cousin who has special needs and she also helps with the Miss Amazing pageants. “We go beyond ourselves; we make the whole night about them. We make sure they’re having fun and tons of pictures to remember this by. This is all about friendship and fun.” λ