First Spring Fling Brings Students Face to Face

By Leslie Cranford, section manager

Teen girls in an assortment of jeans and gowns, makeup done and faces glowing. Adolescent young men in button-up shirts or suit jackets, feeling both anxious and nervous. Fancy dinner. Popular music. Indecision about heading to the dance floor. The scene could be any school dance, but this one was historic.

In early March, Texas Tech K-12 hosted an inaugural dinner and dance for its online students. The Spring Fling, held at Texas Tech DFW, was a huge success, marking one of the few in-person events for the distance-learning students to connect with their peers and experience the program in a new way.

A strictly social event, much different than January’s Raiderpalooza, any educational aspect was set aside for the evening. More than 40 eighth through 12th-grade students were able to simply enjoy the moment, socialize and dance the night away.

Taylor Fierro, senior advisor and staff sponsor for Student Council, was one of the Texas Tech K-12 administrators chaperoning the event, along with Keetha Chadwick, assistant principal.

“It was wonderful to see so many students come together and the many new friendships that were made,” Fierro said. “Everyone had a fantastic time and we’re proud to say, we have the best students.”

Cari Moye, acting superintendent, says for a first time to try something like this, it couldn’t have turned out better.

“Spring Fling was an absolute blast,” Moye said, laughing and smiling. “Our amazing Student Council came up with the idea, and with their help, we brought it to life. By the end of the night, students who had never met before were leaving as friends. We danced, laughed and made some unforgettable memories. We’re already looking forward to next year and can’t wait to make it even bigger and better.”