Here are some snippets from the Washington Post's article after our Kevin Bacon visit. Thank you again to everyone who helped make this possible!
‘All of our dreams came true’
Though Payson students, including student body president Rubie Raff, had long lobbied for Bacon to return — and, if possible, attend the spring prom — his visit still took them by surprise.
“It was surreal,” Raff, 18, said. “As soon as he started walking onstage and they played the ‘Footloose’ song, I started crying. I was so happy that this finally happened and all of our dreams came true in that moment. It was indescribable.”Jenny Staheli, a Payson English teacher and student council adviser, said the school presented Bacon with two letterman jackets, with his name and the SixDegrees logo on the front and “Footloose 1984” on the back. One was for Bacon to keep; the other, which Bacon signed, will be placed in a display with the locker once the new school is built.
“He saw something in this campaign and the work that these kids put in that was worthwhile,” Staheli, 50, said. “Acknowledging that and taking time out of his schedule to visit us speaks to his character. Watching these kids accomplish this is the dream of every teacher.”
Bacon didn’t attend this year’s prom, but he visited earlier in the day, and he also shared a video message that was played during the prom. “I want you all to have a great time, and most importantly, be good to each other,” he told the students. “And don’t forget to cut loose.” The DJ then played the film’s final dance number as students did the dance from its climactic scene.
Student say they’ll remember Bacon’s visit long after graduating.
“It’s something we’ll tell our kids in 20 or 50 years from now,” Dansie said. “Being able to say we got Kevin Bacon to come back is pretty cool.”
Raff called the campaign’s work a “game changer” for the school and said it instilled in students the confidence that they can accomplish something big.
“I was so proud that we finally pulled it off,” Raff said. “There was a lot of relief. Even though it seemed impossible, it came together in the best way. It made everything worthwhile.”