Dexter Fourth Grade Student Makes Huge Strides Toward Inclusivity

One local fourth-grade student has already made her mark on the world. Anna Raus, a Wylie Elementary student and resident of Manchester, is one of the factors behind next year’s name change to the family event previously known as the Daddy Daughter Dance, put on by Dexter Community Schools’ Community Education Department.

Now known as “Dancing With Our Stars,” the event, “is an opportunity for children and their loved ones to shine together. We want to celebrate every precious connection,” according to Dexter Community Education’s Winter 2024 catalog.

The name change is due in part to a presentation Anna gave to Dexter’s Board of Education last March, after feeling a little excluded from the previous version of the dance. Anna said, “I decided that the name of the Daddy Daughter Dance, wasn't that inclusive. And I knew that there were a lot of different types of families. And I respected that. And I thought ‘No, this isn't right. I need to change this so everybody can have fun and nobody's left out.’ And so I decided to make a speech to share with the board of Ed.”

She continued, “Then fast forward to last Friday. They sent out a catalog of everything that they're offering this winter. And my mom saw that there was no Daddy Daughter Dance, but it was Dancing With Our Stars!”

Anna’s mom added, “We might have both cried.”

When asked how she knew what to do to change things, Anna said, “I first, like, really started to think about it. I thought, Hmm, what can I do? To fix this? How can I make this better?” So she asked her mom for help.

“Anna and I started talking about who makes these decisions and what could we do. I had gone to a couple of board meetings…so she had said, ‘What about could I talk to them?’ And I said ‘You sure can!’ and so that was sort of where it all came from,” said Anna’s mom, Amy.

As for what Anna said in her speech to the Board, “I told them basically who I was, and I kind of told them, like, what the problem was and why it was bothering me and why I thought that they should change that and I kind of brought to their attention. Like, yes, there are different types of families. And I think we should respect that.”

STN was able to obtain a copy of Anna’s speech and can confirm its contents. According to the transcript, Anna wasn’t advocating for inclusivity just on behalf of the Daddy Daughter Dance participants but was also petitioning for a more inclusive title for the Mother Son Magic Show. She said, “Also, the Mother Son Magic Show they decided to hold this year, I think should have a name change, too. I’ve been wondering why it always needs to be opposite pairings. Why can’t it just be a student with a special person? Because this would be more inclusive of everyone and more fun. And kids like me might be able to see more of their friends.”

Anna said she wasn’t really that nervous giving the speech. “I was kind of like, it's not that bad. I shouldn't worry about it until the time actually comes because there's no point in worrying about it before it even comes time.” She continued, “I'm trying to make a difference. I'm doing this for the common good. I'm doing that and it's the right thing to do.”

Perhaps the confidence came from her preparation. “She practiced several times. For me and for the cat,” said her mom. Anna added, “And I did a lot of work on my Genius Hour Work time. I have permission to practice my speech with one of my friends. I decided to share with two of my best friends Riley and Parker. And they actually thought that it was really, really good. I'm like, ‘Okay, this isn't so bad because they have really good taste in what’s said’.”