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Steve Carell calls into high school assembly and announces he's buying 800 students' prom tickets

Carrell did a great thing, but that didn't stop him from going full Michael Scott.

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Steve Carell announces free prom tickets for seniors affected by southern California wildfires.

Actor Steve Carell showed up in a big way for high school students affected by the recent wildfires in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles. The Office actor, 62, partnered with charity Alice's Kids (@alicewillhelp), to pay for all seniors to attend prom at six different high schools in Altadena, California.

According to Alice's Kids founder and executive director Ronald "Ron" Fitzsimmons, Carell will be sending about 800 seniors to prom for free. Fitzsimmons told USA Today that Alice's Kids will donate about $175,000 in total.

The uplifting news was shared via Alice's Kids Instagram page, with a personal message from Carell that was played at each high school via video projection in auditoriums. "A special message from our friend Steve Carell. Right now, this is being viewed by every senior at the six high schools in Altadena, CA!! @stevecarellofficial," the video's caption reads.

“Attention. Attention all seniors. This is Steve Carell with a very special announcement. I work with a wonderful charity based out of Virginia called Alice’s Kids. And Alice’s Kids wanted me to let you know that they will be paying for all of your prom tickets,” he said in the video. “And if you have already paid for your prom tickets, they will reimburse you for your prom tickets. It’s a pretty good deal. Have fun. Enjoy the prom, and remember, this is Steve Carell.”

Fans of The Office will notice that the video is a subtle nod to the hit NBC show, where Carell played boss Michael Scott. During a 2009 episode from the sitcom titled "Scott's Tots," he promises to pay the college tuition for a group of third graders if they graduate. But when the time comes to cough up the cash, he doesn't have it. Thankfully, Carell's donation to Altadena students had a different outcome.

The video got an overwhelming response from viewers, many who caught on to The Office reference. "'Hey Mr. Scott! Whatcha gon’ do? Whatcha gon’ do? Make our dreams come true!' This is beautiful," one wrote. Another commented, "Love this! Scott’s Tots for the win!" And another added, "Scott’s tots is coming true!!"

Another wrote, "thank you so much for blessing our students at Pasadena HS with an unforgettable night of memories ✨️🌹🙏🏼." And another shared, "What a thoughtful way to celebrate kids who’ve lost so much!"

One viewer was also personally impacted: "THANK YOU FOR THIS!! MY SISTER IS ABLE TO GO TO PROM!!🫶🫶🫶," they wrote. still another added, "Thank you @alicewillhelp and @stevecarellofficial on behalf of my Muir Senior 💙💛🐴🙏🏽. You all are awesome!!!!! 👏🏽"

Fitzsimmons told USA Today that Carell and his wife, Nancy, have been involved with the organization for over seven years. The idea to donate tickets to prom came after making numerous calls to schools affected by the wildfires.

"That's when I thought, 'Well, let's do something later on. Later on, all the charities will be gone. The kids who are seniors will be going off somewhere,'" Fitzsimmons told the publication. "So that's when I thought, 'What can we do to lift them a little bit in a few months from now?' That's when the idea of prom tickets came up."

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A transgender student was told he couldn't run for prom king. He fought back and won something better.

A Georgia high school has adapted gender-neutral prom court terminology, after receiving public backlash for telling a student he could only run for prom queen because he was born a woman.

Dex Frier, who has identified as transgender since his sophomore year at Johnson High School in Gainesville, Georgia, was seriously ecstatic when he received one of six coveted nominations for senior prom king, an honor he was beyond excited about. "I was jumping up and down. Me and my best friend were losing our minds, we were so excited," Frier told CBS affiliate WGCL.

However, school officials told him that because he was assigned female at birth, he could only run for prom queen. He — along with his friends, the student body and others around the world — were not okay with that decision.

Frier and his friends started an online ballot challenging the school’s decision.

“Allow transgender boy to run for Prom King,” they dubbed the Change.org ballot, which quickly amassed over 32,000 signatures in a week from individuals around the world supporting their plea for inclusivity.

“Just because I’m not legally male I was going to get excluded from something that every guy has the opportunity to be in high school. It was really upsetting,” Frier, who is often referred to by his teachers with male pronouns, told BuzzFeed on March 21. “As a student I felt I had the right to be put on the ballot.”

He continued: “I don’t know of many trans people who go to this school [but] I don’t want anyone else to have to go through this. It hurts being told you don’t deserve the same rights as someone else because you’re not the same as them.”

The administration was hesitant to make the change, but eventually they came to their senses.

On March 23, the school struck a compromise with the student body. They agreed to change the terminology from Prom “King” and “Queen” to simply having two “Royal Knight” seniors, who could be voted in regardless of their gender identity.

“This plan was one of compromise on both sides, and we would like to thank administration, both at the school and county level, for listening and welcoming our concerns ― and most importantly, implementing a plan to address them,” Frier’s friend, Sam Corbett, wrote about the victory on Change.org. “We hope this petition has not only pushed society further towards human rights equality, but also inspired someone to do the same for an issue in their community.”

He continued: “Not only is that number a symbol of the united support of human rights, but also a testament to the power of the individual.”

Unsurprisingly Frier was named one of the Royal Knights of the evening. Instead of being given the traditional crowns and tiaras, he received a feathered mask.

[rebelmouse-image 19480146 dam="1" original_size="640x269" caption="Photo via Pixabay" expand=1]Photo via Pixabay

“It was amazingly overwhelming to win,” Frier told NBC. “They called my name, and all I could hear were my friends cheering for me. I just smiled extremely wide, and when I got to the bottom of the stairs, all of the people that had helped make this happen were either sobbing hysterically or smiling so wide I thought they would hurt themselves.”

Dex Frier’s experience isn’t just a personal win though. It’s a win for inclusivity. But we still have a long way to go.

Despite the reality that more and more teens today are identifying with non-traditional gender labels, many high schools and educational institutions have failed to adapt terminology and gender policies accordingly. However, there has been some progress made in recent years, signifying that things might be headed in a more gender-inclusive direction for children and teens.

Some of these include an Oregon high school introducing six gender-neutral bathrooms in 2013, a Kansas City school district deciding to go fully gender neutral when they renovated their elementary school bathrooms in 2018 and a Burlington, Vermont school debuting a gender-neutral locker room earlier this year.

At the university level, both Northwestern and Purdue have adopted a gender-neutral homecoming court, and the Chicago Tribune points out that many Chicago area high schools have also eliminated gender from their homecoming courts.

This latest triumph at Johnson High School clearly represents movement toward a more gender-neutral educational system. We can only hope that other schools can adapt their policies accordingly, and don’t have to wait for a situation like this to occur before taking action.

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The Rock couldn't make it to her prom. So he hijacked her school's PA system instead.

Ever consider inviting a celebrity to your prom?

It's almost become a tradition: teens shouting out requests on Twitter and Instagram, hoping their plaintive cries (a limo! a full meal at Olive Garden! dancing till dawn!) will catch the hearts of their favorite celeb.

Most of the time, there's no response. Sometimes, these promposals are (rightly) criticized.

This year, though? Something amazing happened when one Minnesota senior invited Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to prom.

In a Twitter video posted in mid-April, Katie Kelzenberg — dressed in her own version of one of The Rock's most iconic looks (yeah, I'm talking jeans and fanny pack) — laid out the reasons Johnson should come to prom with her.

Her tone? A strong attempt at the "smoldering confidence is my superpower" that Johnson is so well known for.

Her reasons? Undeniable.

And yes, that's a pillow with The Rock's face on it. (Do they even sell those in stores? Was it a custom order?) You know Kelzenberg must have taken some ribbing for that pun at the end — but only because it's so good and we're all just jealous we didn't come up with it first.

Listen, if nothing else, this promposal took some nerve. Maybe that's something she learned from Johnson? Don't be afraid! Shoot your shot! Live free or die hard! (Wait...)

But Kelzenberg couldn't have known what The Rock was cooking.

Most celebrity promposals end up as nothing more than a story about the time you invited a famous person to prom and they never responded. But that's not how The Rock works. The guy lives and breathes good deeds. When he's not charming up the movie screen, he's constantly bringing love and sunshine into the world.

And Kelzenberg was no exception. While Johnson couldn't come to prom, he wanted to make Kelzenberg the queen of her high school. So he coordinated with her school and got on the morning announcements.

"Let's start this Friday morning announcement with a little bit of fun and a little bit of excitement," Johnson said via the intercom.

That's Kelzenberg in the red shirt below. And she was feeling a lot more than a bit of excitement. In fact, she looks like someone might need to check on her. Is there a doctor in the school? Because a self-proclaimed "big, brown, bald, tattooed guy" just made her entire year.  

And then he made it even better. "Because we are now best friends and I have so much love for you because you're so awesome, I have a very special gift," Johnson said.

Uh, what could be better than the gift of "best friendship" with The Rock? (which he fully means, by the way. You're in Johnson's orbit — you're now buddies for life). Maybe renting out an entire movie theater — all 232 seats — for Kelzenberg and her friends and family to see his latest film "Rampage" will make up for the fact that The Rock can't make it to the big dance.

And if Kelzenberg was at all sad about him missing her big day? Well, Johnson also bought out all the theater's concessions too. And he posted a special video to thank her for her request on Instagram. (From the gym, of course.)

SURPRISE KATIE KELZENBERG! About a week ago, I come across a video on my Twitter feed, from a student at Stillwater Area High School (oldest high school in Minnesota) asking me if I would be her date to her prom. Unfortunately, I’ll be shooting during that time in Hawaii, BUT I was so impressed by this young lady’s charm and confidence to even ask me (ladies always get shy in front of me) that I had to do something special. I decided to rent out an entire theater (capacity 232 seats) in her town so Katie and her closest 232 friends and family can enjoy a special screening of RAMPAGE. And all the free popcorn, candy and soda high school kids can consume! You’re money’s no good Katie... everything is on Uncle DJ. 🤙🏾🍿 🍭🥤!! And I also taped a special morning message surprising Katie and her high school that will play across the school’s intercom system... literally...RIGHT NOW, Katie should be turning red hearing me surprise her in front of her entire school. I wish I was there in person Katie, to see your reaction to all this, but I’ll hear about for sure and most importantly - you and all your friends have fun at the theater and ENJOY RAMPAGE! Thanks for being an AWESOME FAN and I’m a lucky dude to have fans like you. Uncle DJ 🤟🏾❤️ Ps - the gorilla in Rampage is way smarter (and better looking) than I am, but don’t tell him that because he has a HUGE ego 🦍

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"This is for a very special young lady," Johnson started enthusiastically before making sure he was pronouncing Kelzenberg's name correctly. "I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for inviting me to your prom. I just want to thank a moment to let you know how awesome you are."

This is the kind of positivity we all need in our lives. But you don't have to wait until prom to create it.

In his message, Johnson thanked Kelzenberg for stepping out of her comfort zone to ask him to the big dance. Johnson was so happy he beamed, calling it "the best and coolest part of my job," in a tweet.

And that's the real message here. She took her shot and touched someone in a big way. That kind of positivity is something we should all be working at on a small scale.

So let's take a cue from Kelzenberg and The Rock and make an effort to step outside our comfort zones every day. You never know what good things might happen!

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He did the 'sweetest thing ever' for prom and the internet is loving it.

It's prom season ... and you know what that means.

Teens across America are getting dressed up, making reservations at their most luxurious local Applebee's,  then dancing the night away in a school gymnasium where the basketball hoop has been artfully decorated to fit the theme. (Quick question: Why is the theme sometimes Titanic? Do people not know what happened after all the dancing was done on that ship?)

Prom also means agonizing over who you're going to go with. Are you going to ask someone? Will you wait and hope to be asked? Will you go alone? With a group of friends? Who will you take photos with? And will they end up in the yearbook?

You remember what that was like, right? It was a big deal.

So one high school senior became a big deal — all because he brought his mom to prom.

Meet Joe Moreno (aka Joe Angel), a senior in Corpus Christi, Texas. Back when he was in middle school, he asked his mom, Vanessa, to prom. Now, that may sound a little strange, but Moreno had a very good reason. Well, two.

First, moms are awesome. Second, Joe's mom missed her own prom. Vanessa had to leave high school when she became pregnant at 17. So all the things she thought she'd get to do, she told KRIS-TV, had to be put aside so she could raise Joe, and eventually, his siblings.

"It was a sacrifice that I had made. My sacrifice was to give my children my all. I put everything into him. I push them to become everything they can," she said.

Joe thanked his mother, who he refers to as "the most important woman in his life." He told the school his story, asked for permission to bring his mom, and then picked her up with a corsage in hand.

The mother-son duo topped it all off by taking official prom photos, which Joe posted on Twitter.

Joe's story has the internet in happy tears.

In a world where things are often frightening and confusing, this story provides the level of wholesomeness that we all so desperately need. Moreno's prom pics went viral, and Twitter couldn't handle their emotions, with scores of people telling Joe how much he'd inspired them.

One person also made an important discovery:

Hey, it's a good dress, okay? It's a good dress!

This story's an important reminder to show the people closest to you how much you love them.

No, you don't have to take your mom to prom — although this could definitely become a trend — but it's never wrong to show love and gratitude to the people who make your life better (in fact, research shows that it will make you happier).

Joe's gift of prom has certainly brought he and his mom closer together. Missing it the first time around was something Vanessa felt she "had to sacrifice so that I could work and give to my child without anyone else helping me." Years later, it turns her her son feels just as strongly about doing right by her.

"My mom's the most important person to me. I really love her and everything she's done for me," he said. Now everyone else does, too.

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