Interact club holds a Valentine’s dance for special needs students
Pirraci said, “As the co-president of Interact, I would love to thank all of our participants, Interact club members, Key Club, and ASB students for all the help and support they showed in making this event possible. I would like to thank the teachers and counselors present at the event and our club advisors Miss Roberts and Irene Henry. But most importantly a big thank you goes to all of our special needs students and their teachers for agreeing to participate in the dance, for having fun, and for stepping out of their comfort zone.” Photo by: Rachel Gonzalez
February 22, 2022
The dance tradition is back after lockdown
Interact club continued their Valentine’s Day tradition this year. Senior Juerta Pirraci, the co-president of the club said, “The Valentine’s dance is a project that has always been a dear tradition for Interact Club. Throughout the years this project focuses on making Valentine’s Day special for the special needs students of our school, connecting us with them, and opening a whole new horizon to all of us.”
She said, “The Valentine’s Day dance has been one of our initial projects. It was always one of the most well-known and well-liked projects. Unfortunately last year we missed the opportunity to organize the dance because of COVID.”
During an Interact meeting, club members made costume cards for each student who was invited to the dance. Senior Jayla Ramirez, the Interact club’s Co-Event Coordinator, made cookies for them. She said, “I’m super glad the students got to enjoy a dance and I hope the my cookies brought them extra joy this Valentine’s Day”
The dance took a lot of planning for the Interact club. Decorating the dance so that it has a fun atmosphere was their goal. The Interact club had to keep in mind the personal and physical needs of each students. Pirraci said, “We create and run this event keeping in mind the main purpose of creating a party that will bring joy to our special needs students.”
Pirraci explained the importance of the dance, “The event is crucial in its effectiveness in making the special needs kids feel connected to the activities we do in our school, to the students, and the student life. It also helps them make new friends and is a fantastic opportunity for us to be able to connect with them.”
This VHS tradition is about creating an inclusive school community for every student on campus. Pirraci told The Cougar Press, “I believe that this has to be a tradition of VHS because it is an amazing opportunity to create something amazing for the students that have special needs in our school to have fun and help them feel the school spirit, igniting unity and acceptance within our cougar community.”
![[left to right] George Lopez, a campus supervisor at VHS, said, “I don’t have any plans, whatever comes up because plans never work, but I might go to Texas.” Damian De La Fuente ‘24 said, “I’m going to hang out with friends and perform at parties.” Viviana Rodriguez, a campus supervisor at VHS, said, “I’m going to see my family in Santa Barbara and do some deep cleaning.” Photo by: Meray Touma](https://thecougarpress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Photo-6-1-e1710961880419-450x600.jpg)
