The success of two recent events at schools shows the power of one person to make a difference in teaching character and social strategies. In both cases, an unwavering commitment to see a project off and running, along with the willingness of a school and community to work together, proved the difference in two Michigan schools this past school year.
At Jenison High School near Grand Rapids, Michigan, Handicapable Week featured a weeklong series of events, thanks to the commitment of Jenison special educator, Kristen Gray. Gray says that the November event was a success because she worked closely with staff, students and the community. "It was a solid team effort," Gray says.
Handicapable Week activities and guest speakers were chosen to educate students and faculty about individual student differences. One event required students to live with a disability for a day and keep a diary detailing what it was like learning with disabilities. When explaining the value of the week, Gray says that 10 percent of the district's 1,550 students are children of special needs, and there is special inclusion of students with disabilities in all of its buildings.
"When the week is over," Gray says, "I hope the students have an increased understanding and awareness about each other, and about themselves."
At DeWitt Public Schools in Michigan, students at the districts' five buildings worked hard to ensure that Make A Difference Week was a success. The idea for the award-winning event was first brought to the school by a parent in the district.
Fueling the week's events was the belief that when given the opportunity, students can impact positive change by giving back to the world in which they live.
Each building in the district participated. High school students donated 300 pounds of children's books for area homeless shelters. A pop-can drive by Schavey Road Elementary students went to help purchase a wheelchair for someone without insurance.
Middle Schools students collected $2,000 to aid efforts of The Leukemia Society of America. And fourth- and fifth-graders at David Scott School collected four boxes of school supplies and $369 to help students learn at a newly built school in Ecuador.
This past May, Kim Brennan Root, director of communications for DeWitt Public Schools, accepted a Michigan Week 2000 Community Achievement Award for outstanding local initiatives on behalf of the district and the community it serves. Root says that when the week was over, many students had a greater understanding of how their personal choices impact the world around them.
"Our goal was to start small and build on the project over a period of years," Root says. "But the efforts of the students in each of our buildings exceeded our expectations." The district plans to make the week an annual event.
Judy Winter is a mother and award-winning writer on special needs.