Dance takes Club 328 students back to Rydell

By Frances Vanderploeg

Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008 | midnight

The students in Boulder City High School's Club 328 are proving themselves to be movers and shakers — literally.

Club 328 students are members of the special education program at the school. They've renamed themselves to get away from any stereotype that normally comes with being special education, Jackie DeSilva, program teacher, said.

With a few students showing off their moves on the dance floor Sept. 26 during a Southeast Region special programs get-together at Foothill High School, they demonstrated some of the enthusiasm they pour into all aspects of their lives.

"It's to promote as much normalcy as possible," Pam Charles, Foothill teacher, said. "Our kids enjoy seeing each other. They like going to dances, and they want to be social."

The students go on weekly outings to various places. Some of the trips have included such practical destinations as Jack in the Box to learn how to fill out job applications and Albertsons to shop for supplies.

"We do a trip a week, even if we have to beg, borrow and steal to do it," DeSilva said.

The students have shown themselves to be pretty good at making money. The five students in the program run the student store before school and in the afternoons, making $20,000 for the school each year.

Foothill acted as their weekly outing on Sept. 26, where a dance provided fun for the students.

It was themed "Back to Rydell," and several students and teachers showed up in "Grease"-appropriate costumes, including a few Pink Ladies jackets and a lot of poodle skirts, jeans and leather.

"I actually think it's really cool," Maegan Leggett, 14, said.

Leggett said she enjoys the movie, especially the main male lead, Danny Zucko, played by John Travolta.

"It would be nice to meet him," she said. "He's so hot."

Other activities were available for the students, including bingo, hoop tosses, face painting and fishing.

Beyond playing the games, Leggett enjoyed being able to see old friends, including one boy who used to attend her school but moved to Henderson during the summer.

Tieler Wells, 16, the club historian, brought his camera to the event to take pictures of his friends and teacher enjoying the activities.

Photography is one of his hobbies, he said, and he makes sure to take his camera everywhere so he can capture all of the fun things they do.

He had a smile on his face each time he pulled the camera out of his pocket to capture another moment.

Frances Vanderploeg can be reached at 990-2660 or [email protected].