Young West Orange Students Rock The House At ‘Inclusive Dance’

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the West Orange Public School District. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

The first Inclusive K-5 dance, held on Dec. 9 and sponsored by the West Orange Special Education Advisory Committee (WOSEPAC), turned out to be a stellar success that was enjoyed by parents and students alike.

With crafts, special activities, tattoos, and WOHS alum and current West Orange police officer Justin Davis DJ'ing the event, there was lots of dancing and merrymaking for children and parents alike.

"We want to take a moment to thank all of you for your help and or support in making our Inclusive Winter Dance Party a success," began Gina Velazquez, WOSEPAC chair.

"We received so much positive feedback from kids and parents and are grateful that we were able to provide a fun and safe event for our amazing West Orange community thanks to all who contributed, supported and were involved," she stated.

"WOSEPAC strives to promote and practice INCLUSIVITY in all that we do and one of our goals for this year is to raise enough money to provide Communication Stations/boards for our seven elementary school playgrounds. The Communication Stations/Boards will facilitate communication between nonverbal and verbal students. The board will present a variety of labeled images for playground visitors to reference for non-verbal exchange, which is particularly helpful for those students who rely on technology-based assistance that cannot always be brought outside. Proceeds from this event will go towards reaching our Communication Stations/Boards goal," she explained.

In addition to the funds raised for the board, a large amount of canned goods were collected for the HTWO Food Pantry.

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