Ms. Elma Orr is a Dunwoody Resident who is inspirational and someone I admire. Let me explain why ...

In October, the DeKalb School System decided that there would be no Homecoming Dance at, or associated with Dunwoody High School. Some parents were upset, and a few started looking for options to offer some sense of a Homecoming Experience for their teenage children. There were private parties in restaurants for small groups, private parties by invitation and those were wonderful for those who could attend. Outside of those efforts, there was a small group of parents that wanted a public homecoming dance where every Dunwoody High School Student was invited to participate, and the leader of that group was Ms. Elma Orr, who was driven to make that happen. 

 

I had not had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Orr previously but she reached out to me to see if the City could assist with space. Ms. Orr led a school-wide fundraising campaign on social media, and there were many generous donations from the community. After a proper outdoor space was obtained (large pavilion at Brook Run) details like a DJ, lighting, security, refreshments, photo booth, food truck and parental chaperones were all coordinated by Ms. Orr and her team. The event was just before Halloween and the decorations turned the pavilion into a Haunted House suitable for Michael Jackson's Thriller.

 

With a Sophomore son attending DHS, I know a fair amount of his classmates (at least the boys) so I volunteered to be a chaperone and/or be unofficial security at the dance. As a Dad, I was there to mix into the background, assist the others putting on the event, while keeping a watchful eye on the crowd to be assured that nothing out of the ordinary happened. As a Husband, my wife wanted regular updates on the boy and the event, and I sort of tried to make that happen too.

 

The evening was relatively cool but the event went on without a hitch and it was really uplifting for me to witness. The young ladies were beautifully dressed, and the young men did their best to clean up in a respectable manner. The DJ kicked off the event with Cotton Eyed Joe with a circle of friends started dancing, and then the circle got bigger, and bigger until the whole crowd was having a great time. Before you know it, there were awkward boys and girls talking to one another, laughing and experiencing real life without a mask to hide their smiles. 

 

In order to satisfy my wife's inquiries, I snapped a few photos of the boy and even offered her a small bit of video, but I wasn't there to invade anyone's privacy while having a great time. That being said, Ms. Elma Orr did this, she hosted an event that brought the community of DHS Students together for a good time; as witnessed below, the evening was a great success.

Fast forward to today, the City of Dunwoody contracted with local artists for Woman's History Month and there is Elma Orr doing a mural highlighting woman NASA Astronauts where her completed project is now hanging on the fence of the Brook Run Skate Park. Prior to this project, Elma painted the picnic tables for the Dunwoody Library, Stage Door Players and the Dunwoody Nature Center.

Check out the video Elma did to explain her artistic process for this project.

Elma, Dunwoody is more beautiful because of what you do but we are all richer because of who you are and I thank you for generously sharing your gifts and talents with the community.  We are all better for it.