Joliet West Special Populations Dance creates ‘memories that will last a lifetime’

Joliet West High School student Shradha Verma praised the school’s Special Populations Dance on March 22 at the Joliet school, calling it “a huge success.”

Verma, co-president of Joliet West’s academy, said the 2024 Special Populations Dance was the first since the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant “starting from scratch,” she said.

“We had to buy all new decorations, find vendors for food, and invite all of our guests,” Verman said. “As you can imagine, this was a costly venture, but we were thankfully able to fundraise almost everything we needed.”

Although the dance allows “students in our community with special needs to create memories that will last a lifetime,” Verma feels the its value goes beyond that.

“It also offers an opportunity for our students to learn about the importance of inclusivity,” Verma said. “I’m always impressed by how the minute the guests start walking, our students immediately embrace them and work so diligently to ensure they have the best dance experience.

The red carpet experience

Daniel Markun, Joliet West High School Health & Medicine and Human Services Academy coordinator, said the dance embodies a “Celebrity Look-a-Like, Hollywood, Red Carpet Gala,” complete with a decorated cafeteria, dinner and DJ as “we try to treat them like stars for the evening.”

“The dance is an opportunity for our students that are interested in careers that focus on helping people to interact with a special group of individuals in our community that need our assistance,” Markun said. “The dance provides students with a fun way to complete their community service hours, while learning how to interact with and assist members of our community.”

Guests received a VIP name tag when they entered the dance, Markun said. Then they showed off their outfits by walking down an actual red carpet, which is lined with cheering student volunteers.

Joliet West photography teacher Chuck Rumpf organized student volunteers from his classes to set up a backdrop and photo booth, so guests could take pictures with different props, Markun said. Their photos were printed during the dance, so the guests could take them home when they left.

Dinner is usually pizza, Markun said. The last two years, Joliet West culinary arts teacher Jasmine Rosenboom recruited students from her foods classes to volunteer after school and prepare deserts for the guests, Markun said. Students made cake pops, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate-covered pretzel rods, he said.

“All aspects of a project like this are great learning experiences for our students because it requires them to work together and problem solve. Students are invested in each step of the process and every year the students work together, share ideas, and develop new ways to ensure our guests have a great time at our dance.”

—  Daniel Markun, Joliet West High School Health & Medicine and Human Services Academy coordinator,

Games this year included inflatable bowling, bags, inflatable tic-tac-toe and the wheel of dance moves, where each section of the wheel had the name of a different dance move, Markun said.

“The guests would spin the wheel and a student would teach them the dance move on the wheel,” he said. “If the guest does the dance move, they win a prize.”

The students also reserved a classroom outside of the cafeteria for a quiet room for any guest who needed “a break from the music and excitement of the dance.,” Markun said.

“Students had a movie playing, coloring sheets available, different fidgets and small toys, as well as games for quiet play and to calm down,” he said. “Many of the chaperones from the groups were appreciative of this space.”

A Joliet West tradition

Markun said the special populations dance was already a Joliet West tradition when he became the academy coordinator for the Health and Medicine and Human Services academies at the high school in 2013.

“We have always hired the same DJ [James Rock], and he said that this is the 18th year he has DJ’d for the dance,” Markun said.

Ever since Ashley Brettman, a special education teacher at Joliet West, invited him to the Special Populations Dance his first year at Joliet West, Markun said he has “been hooked ever since” and made organizing it a priority for his academy.

He said students, staff and the greater community look forward to the dance each year. He praised Brettman’s role in it.

“She is an amazing person who is super supportive of people with special needs,” Markun said, “and she has always dedicated so much time and effort into making this event happen.”

The Special Populations Dance is just one event the Health and Medicine and Human Services Academy Roundtable – a student-led leadership group that explores human services and health careers through community service – sponsors throughout the year.

Joliet West student Emily Johnson, who’s co-president of the academy, said she helped secured a grant for $1,000 that went toward the cost of pizza, decorations and the DJ. She also helped gather student volunteers for the event.

High school dances like homecoming and prom are not ideal for every student. The Special Populations Dance “serves to accommodate certain needs and proves to be a looked-forward-to event,” Johnson said.

“This will forever remain my favorite school event because of the impact it makes,” she said. “The core memories that us students are able to have on the guests are truly inspiring. I wish nothing more for this event [other than] to continue to thrive as years pass.”

A student-led event

Planning for the dance begins months ahead of the event. Academy students hold meetings, prepare a budget, raise funds, advertise and “organize all aspects of the dance,” Markun said.

“All aspects of a project like this are great learning experiences for our students because it requires them to work together and problem solve,” he said. “Students are invested in each step of the process, and every year the students work together, share ideas and develop new ways to ensure our guests have a great time at our dance.”

Markun said funding the dance is sometimes challenging, which is also a “valuable learning experience for the students.” They’ve learned how to run successful fundraisers and how to apply for grants to help fund the dance.

“Every year we figure it out, because we recognize the value,” Markun said.

More than 70 students signed up this year to volunteer.

“Not just that we got so many to show up, but more importantly, how well they worked together as a team, and how they always stayed focus on our goal of providing our guests with a very special evening,” Markun said. “It is amazing what a group of young, determined and well-intentioned teenagers can do when they work together.”

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Miko Perez and Emily Vargas share a dance at the annual Special Population Dance hosted by Joliet West high school on Friday, March 22, 2024. (Gary Middendorf)