Are You Going to the Prom? Andrew Sealock Is!

by Mary Ellen South

It’s that time of the year- spring, school coming to a close and time for the ritual we all (parent and teenager) look forward to - the prom. But for families with special needs children, going to the prom is often not in sight. When Andrew Sealock, a junior at Skyline High School, expressed interest to his Dad, Alan (Past Pres of the Front Royal Kiwanis Club), the response was, “Why not?”

Of course, the challenges were many. First, a date. Second, social skills. Third, the expense. The only prospective date was a good friend of Andrew’s who is also special needs but not an attendee of Skyline High School - in fact, she is 24 years old. When Andrew signed up for the big event and gave his date’s age, the answer was a resounding “NO”. Alan felt that the school might relent when they reviewed the circumstances, so he went to bat for his son. Alan has learned, as do all special needs parents, that sometimes you must make exceptions for your child if you want him to experience life as a teen should. He also worried about Andrew’s social skills with a date. Andrew is well known at Skyline - he helps with the various varsity teams and hangs out a lot with the engineering staff at school. His peers are few. He is an example of mainstreaming special needs kids who “fit” into the special academic areas of the curriculum, but miss out on the many other activities that every young person needs in their lives.

Alan had great reservations about all of this actually working out, even after approval by the school and rental of tux, review of etiquette and anything else he could think of.

But on Saturday night, everything went smoothly. Andrew’s older brother drove from Blacksburg to watch his “kid brother” do something the family never dreamed would occur. When a call came at 10 pm from the school, Alan’s heart dropped. But Andrew was just calling for cash - needed to pay for a photo as a remembrance of this special day in his life.

Congratulations to Andrew, his date and his family for having the courage to take a step forward for special needs citizens of our community. We are so proud of all of you. Pictured are Andrew, his date and his Dad, Alan.