Kids from all around southern Georgia recently gathered in the Thomas County Central High School gym for an adventure “Under the Sea.”

TCCHS held its annual Special Needs Dance on Friday, Feb. 19. The dance is an opportunity for these students to gather in the gym to socialize and enjoy dancing with one another.

“My favorite thing about the dance is being able to hang out with the kids the whole time,” volunteer from TCCHS Cole Hebron said.

These students usually don’t have the opportunity to attend dances like homecoming and prom, TCCHS special education teacher Todd Wilson explained. This event gives them a dance to call their own. It is a special dance dedicated for them to have a day of fun.

“This is an opportunity for them to have a dance with kids just like themselves,” he said.

The dance started off as a small thing with just Thomas County schools, but it has expanded to include Thomasville, Lanier, Tifton, Bainbridge, Cairo, and other schools.

“My favorite thing about the dance is being able to dance and see all of my old friends,” participant from TCCHS Julie Cox said.

An added bonus this year was, in the middle of the dance, students were asked to focus their attention to the stage as senior Reshad Daniels and junior Cole Hebron were crowned as the “King of Hearts” for their grade. They earned the most money donated by their peers to help raise funds for the American Heart Association.

The dance is an event that the students look forward to and are most excited about because “we have a good time and we can all see our friends,” participant from TCCHS Ka’Deshia Joyce said.