Students hit the beach in tuxedos and formal dresses for this year's special education prom in the basement of St. Augustine Church.

"Surf's Up" was the theme for the day and beach chairs, balls and flowered leis filled the room as students danced and mingled with old friends and some new ones as well.

The day started early for the girls, who arrived at 8 a.m. to get their hair, nails and makeup done by area salons and volunteers. At 9:30 a.m., they put on their gowns and the final touches for the ensemble as the boys got decked out in Hawaiian shirts and other beach wear. At 10:30 a.m., the limos arrived for a brief trip around town before the festivities began.

Dancing and socializing started at 11 a.m.. The electric slide, macarena and other set dances were the biggest hits for students.

At noon attendees were served a meal of pork loin and pineapple rice pilaf with sherbet for dessert. And once the meal was finished, the grand march began.

DCD (Developmentally and Cognitively Delayed) students were escorted for the march by mainstream students from Austin High School, who had volunteered to attend the event and make new friends.

Connie Boes, a DCD teacher and organizer for the event, said she could see the students' excitement before the activities had even started.

"Thay all came in beaming with smiles, all their problems left outside at the door," she said.

Shawna Edwards, a 15-year-old DCD student said the dance was the highlight.

"You can have fun and not get judged on how you dance or anything," she said. "You just have fun."

This was Edwards' first prom, and it was not what she thought it would be.

"What I expected was people sitting around and doing nothing," she said. "But it's fun."

While fun was the focus of the day, the prom gave students a lot more than just a good time.

"We work throughout the year on socially appropriate activities, preparing them for real life situations," Boes said. "This has many facets to it, and it's just a culminating effort."

Angela Walter, an 18-year-old DCD student, said the event gave her valuable experience.

"You get experience going to prom so you're ready to go when you're a senior if you want to," she said.

Junior Bridget Schmidt was one of 75 mainstream students that attended the prom. She volunteered through her communications and relationships class at Austin High School. She feels it is an important for DCD and mainstream kids to have fun together.

"I think it makes it feel more like a prom," Schmidt said. "I think it's important that they get a prom too, not just us."

She said she formed a friendship right away with a girl named Erin.

"She's very friendly," she said. "She came up and gave me a hug at the very beginning."

"Surf's Up" was put together with a large number of donations of time and services by are volunteers and businesses. Boes said the support was great.

"What is so amazing about the event is that it's such a community event," she said.

Matt Merritt can be reached at 434-2214 or by email at matt.merritt@austindailyherald.com