Kelly Elementary School, with five programs on campus that serve students with a range of disabilities, is committed to finding creative ways to include its students with special needs into the school community.
In January, Kelly held a “Compassion Day” to help all students understand what it is like to have a disability. With the help of 40 volunteers, teacher Crystal Waterman and parents, Tricia Benton and Marci Tarvin designed the day to build empathy for students with disabilities. Every class rotated through a series of eight stations, where students “experienced” a different disability. At one station, students covered their eyes and experienced reading in Braille. Another mimicked the experience of being colorblind. A third demonstrated assistive technologies that transformed speech into text and text to speech.
Every special needs student at Kelly, no matter what the disability, has the opportunity to spend time in a mainstreamed classroom. Some students might join for an art class, or for an interactive experience, or some for a more extended period of time.
The school also has a student Kindness Club, where members engage, interact, and learn from students with disabilities on campus. Kindness Club students help their special needs friends develop communication and social skills through games and fun activities. Fourth grader Collin McCann is the ringleader of the Kindness Club. He has a passion for helping Kelly students with special needs. Also a member of Kelly’s First Lego League for robotics, Collin came up with the idea of starting a Second Lego League for these special students. With the help of principal Emma Cobb and teacher Nicole Buchanan, students with disabilities can now experience Lego robotics one day a week after school.
Collin was recently honored with a Student Stand Out award from the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), and, with his teacher Mr. Berntsen, was given a special recognition from the North County Consortium for Special Education (NCCSE).
Congratulations to Collin, Mr. Berntsen, Ms. Waterman, and Kelly Elementary School for your contributions towards making an extraordinary education accessible to all students.
