After all the things high school students missed out on because of the pandemic, one Michigan school district made sure their students didn’t miss prom this year. And credit for that goes to their superintendent, who did what he could to make prom affordable for the teens. Saginaw Public Schools Superintendent Ramont Roberts knows how important the rite of passage was to him, so he didn’t want any of his students to miss that opportunity.
He says a school board member brought up the idea of finding ways to help the kids and their families through these tough times, particularly with prom. And Roberts told her, “Let me see if there’s something that I can do from my level.” And that’s just what he did. He used discretionary funds from the superintendent’s budget to pay for half the cost of this year’s prom tickets.
Roberts says many people have thanked him for the gesture, but seeing the students enjoying themselves at prom is all the thanks he needs. “I think about the kind of senior year that they had and you know as an educator and even as a person it makes you just want to do everything you can to try to normalize their experience,” Roberts explains. “And also try to make it a very good experience for them. So that’s what this was about.”
Source: WNEM
