Cobb County high school gives hundreds of special education students a dance to remember
In Cobb County, special education students across the district came together on Tuesday for a dance to remember.
Parents say the Special Education Dance gives their kids an outlet outside of the classroom. Around 500 students danced the morning away.
Rick and Sonya Petrie say this dance provides a safe space for their nonverbal daughter, Naomi.
"I love it because there's not very many events that we could do with Naomi because of her disability, so it gets hard for safety reasons," Sonya Petrie said.
The Petries say this is their first time attending this dance with their eighth grader.
"She is definitely having fun," Sonya Petrie said.
"It's amazing they put so much time and effort into this," Rick Petrie said.
This year's theme was "Zootopia: Better Together," which was inspired by the hit Disney movie and the idea that everyone thrives when they work and celebrate as a group. Kennesaw Mountain High School Principal Nathan Stark says this is a way to bring special education students together.
"This is always one of my favorite days of the school year. To bring in all these students from around the county and just be unified," Stark said.
The dance has been going on for over 20 years at Kennesaw Mountain High School.
"So it's a tradition here, and it's a tradition with the county," Stark said.
Adam Soczweka looks forward to the dance every year.
"It's amazing. I've been to the Special Ed dance for about five years," Soczweka said.
Students danced one beat at a time.