On Friday, March 27, Longmont High School (LHS) hosted their annual Silent Disco in partnership with Young Life Capernaum, a ministry within the St. Vrain Young Life Chapter which specializes in serving teenagers and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The genesis of LHS’ silent disco partnership began three years ago when a Young Life employee by the name of Cameron Miller was volunteering at the high school. Miller mentioned that their group had unused silent disco headphones, and from there, the idea took off.
LHS welcomes students with varying support needs from across the district to attend this sort of event, being sure to include all who can make it. This year, in addition to LHS students, that included Mead, Niwot, Skyline, Silver Creek, and Lyons.
Hosting events like this one is so important in terms of inclusion and understanding. Students may be upset by the loud and overwhelming nature of a school dance, but still deserve to be able to attend one.
“Sometimes, at events like Prom, the music can be really loud. So with [the] silent disco, you can control your own volume,” said Miller.
Attendees absolutely love getting this opportunity every year.
Brandon Cox (‘26), has been able to attend all three silent discos since its inauguration, stating “[My favorite part is] dancing. It’s so much fun!”
Paras from each school district also noted their students’ excitement when reminded about the upcoming event every year, and that it’s an opportunity for them to connect and make friends from other schools.
“They all love it. They all get super, super excited about it.” Said Mead SSN para Ms. Birrer.
To put on a successful silent disco the way Longmont has been able to entails some preparation. There are three DJ’s, all in charge of a different channel. Each channel displays a color on the headphones, so that students can find others with the same color to dance with. They can also change the channel or the volume if desired, making the whole experience very self governed for the individual’s comfort.
The community thanks Longmont High and Young Life Capernaum for taking the initiative to start something which creates positive memories and experiences for SVVSD’s students with disabilities.
