BVA’s Valentine’s Dance brings LifeSkills students together

Students from several area schools take part in the event each year.

BVA LifeSkills’ annual Valentine’s Dance was full of fun and laughter Thursday morning, with more than 180 students from LifeSkills classes at area schools celebrating in the Belle Vernon Area High School gymnasium.

The dance has been held for about a decade, according to Cindy Pierce, who welcomed students from Yough, Ringgold, West Mifflin, Washington, South Fayette, Elizabeth Forward, Charleroi and Baldwin school districts as well.

“Today all the school districts are labeled and where they will be sitting. Some of the cheerleaders are here to welcome them and give name tags, and there is a door prize. Everything is donated,” Pierce said. “We run programs here at the high school where we do a partners’ gym class that includes dancing. The typical students partner up with our kids. They did all the balloons, the artwork, everything.”

Along with showing off some amazing dance moves, students participated in arts and crafts, face painting, games and a photo booth. There was also a DJ, and they got to enjoy a variety of snacks while mingling with other LifeSkills students — many of whom were excited to see their friends from other schools.

Items were donated by Sheetz, Shop and Save, Dairy Queen and more, according to Pierce.

Pierce said Joe Cohen has donated his services as DJ for the past six years because the students appreciate it.

“I just enjoy it. They are appreciative, and they are great kids and it’s just a good time,” Cohen said. “It’s probably one of the nicest and one of the most rewarding shows that I do. I do it because they appreciate it; that’s the biggest thing. They are appreciative of it; they are very respectful and very nice kids. It’s always a good time.”

The Valentine’s Day Dance is the biggest event held at BVA, but there is one other big party every year — the LifeSkills Prom, which is held in the ballroom of a hotel every spring with students from multiple districts attending.

Other schools hold other events every year, such as Monessen, whose students were unable to attend Thursday morning due to the flu. There’s also an annual Halloween party, according to special education teacher and counselor Tammy Hite from Charleroi.

Juniors Madalyn Luckey and Emma White are the co-presidents of the BVA Friends First club, along with more than 20 volunteers, including sophomores Jessa Haney, Hayden Sparte, Lauryl Vanassa and Amy Lytle. They have been working on the dance for the past few months.

“This is a good event for all of the special needs to get all together,” White said. “You get to meet new people, you get to meet new teachers, so this is good if you want to go into education, this gives you a good idea.”

Haney said it feels good to see the kids so happy, adding that they come back and tell the volunteers how much they enjoy it year after year.

Every year the group organizes myriad things they can do with their LifeSkills friends and “partners” each student has been paired up with throughout each year. For example, they might enjoy “partner chorus” or “partner art” classes with their friends while helping them navigate through those classes a little more easily than they might without a little help from their partners.

“The kids really enjoy it and then the kids coming in from other schools also really enjoy it,” Luckey said. “They get to meet other people, and they have their games inside the gym where they all get to socialize and be able to talk to each other.”

WQED Education Department project manager Denice Pazuchanics, who came to help with Washington School District, said the event is an excellent idea for special education students.

Hite said some of her students came up to her telling her how much they enjoyed the dance and seeing those that have moved away to different areas.

“We have a couple of students that used to go here, and they have been excited about it because they get to come back and see their teachers,” Hite said. “Last year was our first year, and they were so excited. They have been talking about this work week, and it’s nice to get out. Because it’s a dance for our kids, our kids don’t typically get to go to the typical dance or typical prom, so they come to this and they love it.”

It’s the second year attending the dance for special education teachers Taryn Beegle and Kasey Clifford of Ringgold, who said their kids also have a lot of fun. They added that it’s good for their students to meet new people and socialize with others because some don’t get to hang out with anyone during the regular school day.

Diane Frolo, Pierce’s partner for the event and a teacher at BVA, said she also enjoys watching the kids have fun and socialize.

“This is their dance. They don’t get the opportunities to go to an evening dance like other kids,” Frolo said. “I think this gives them the opportunity to express themselves and dance and not be self conscious. They can be themselves. It’s fun, and they get to dance with friends of theirs. That makes it so nice because it’s well rounded, plus they get to meet other students they would not normally meet.”