Unified Champion will host a prom this Friday in the new lecture hall. It will start at noon and end at 2 p.m.

The theme is disco and there will be music. The PTSA will provide pizza, drinks and small gift bags for the special education students.

This is the first special education prom that McNeil has held.

“The prom is so great,” special education teacher Makayla Hernandez said. “Having it at our school helps make our kids feel included, and it helps kids meet other kids.”

Hernandez said the prom will help connect special education to regular education students.

“It’s important to the kids because it’s their school and to have a prom at McNeil makes them feel like they belong,” Hernandez said.

Connecting students and helping special education students feel like they belong to McNeil is a main goal of Unified Champions.

Special education aide Wendell Bradham said the prom will make a big difference in the lives of his students.

“It will be their first experience with prom, and this helps them make themselves feel better,” Bradham said. “It makes them feel like they have something special for themselves.”

Club members are going to decorate the New Lecture Hall and will help special education students get ready.

“Every student should get to go to prom and this prom is available to every special education student,” special education teacher Aleen Odom said. “This lets students with sensory problems and social problems go to this prom and be able to enjoy it.”

The prom is the first big event in Unified Champions. The club hopes to partner with the athletic department for Meet the Mavs in August. Club leaders said this will help grow the club so it can start doing school wide events and get everybody involved and excited about the club.