{"id":91875,"date":"2017-02-17T11:45:06","date_gmt":"2017-02-17T16:45:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/?p=91875"},"modified":"2019-11-12T15:48:49","modified_gmt":"2019-11-12T20:48:49","slug":"making-connections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2017\/02\/17\/making-connections\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Connections"},"content":{"rendered":"

Daily Reporter<\/a><\/h2>\n

Rorye Hatcher<\/p>\n

\"Sydney<\/a>

Sydney Stanley gets a hug from Alexis Jenkins after receiving a special Valentine\u2019s Day gift from Stanley. (Tom Russo | Daily Reporter) Thomas J Russo<\/p><\/div>\n

CHARLOTTESVILLE \u2014 Alexis Jenkins pulled a heart-shaped candy box, a tiny stuffed bear attached, out of the gift bag.<\/p>\n

The 17-year-old grinned and touched the toy\u2019s soft fur, but her attention was quickly drawn to the next treat in the bag.<\/p>\n

\u201cWarheads!\u201d she exclaimed. \u201cI love Warheads.\u201d<\/p>\n

The recent Valentine\u2019s Day celebration brought together 22 students for the kickoff of a student-led initiative at Eastern Hancock High School aimed at filling a gap in the district\u2019s special education programming. Peer Pals provides students like Jenkins, a member of the school\u2019s special education program, a chance to interact with their peers in a supportive environment. Junior Lainie Splater started the group with two goals in mind \u2014 allow students with special needs to hone their socialization skills while encouraging general education students to get comfortable working with those with disabilities.<\/p>\n

Splater, 17, had heard about a similar effort \u2014 the Best Buddies program at Greenfield-Central High School \u2014 and recognized a gap in similar programming at Eastern.<\/p>\n

It was Splater\u2019s own experience working with students with special needs that prompted her to look for ways to make the school more inclusive. Splater serves as a cadet teacher in the essential skills classroom, where students with special needs spend their days.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t always have an interest in working with students with special needs, she said. Her first day of cadet teaching, she started out in study hall, but when no one needed help, the teacher in charge sent her to the essential skills classroom to lend a hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was scared of what could happen,\u201d she said. \u201cThe first week, I was scared, and I didn\u2019t really talk. As soon as I opened up, the kids welcomed me in with open arms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Splater knew how working with students with special needs had changed her life \u2014 she now hopes to pursue a career as a special education teacher \u2014 and she wanted to encourage other students to open themselves up to the experience.<\/p>\n

Splater got permission from principal David Pfaff to hold a call-out meeting for students who would be interested in joining the potential group, which now meets monthly.<\/p>\n

The effort drew support from students and staff alike.<\/p>\n

Freshman Kyle Davis was among those who signed up to help. Davis was instantly drawn to the effort, he said; he has a friend with special needs, and spending time together over the years has been a life-changing experience.<\/p>\n

Pfaff also helped spread the word, inviting special education teachers from Greenfield-Central in on the discussion to weigh in about how Best Buddies has helped their students.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was really my No. 1 supporter through it all,\u201d Splater said.<\/p>\n

\"Laurie<\/a>

Laurie Eells, Austin Linton and Jamie Cool-Luke play a card game during a recent Peer Pals party after school at Eastern Hancock High School. (Tom Russo | Daily Reporter) Thomas J Russo<\/p><\/div>\n

Before the Valentine\u2019s Day party, Splater organized a training session, so the student helpers involved would know what to do and how to help if a student with special needs had a panic attack or lashed out unexpectedly, she said.<\/p>\n

Splater gave a speech to her fledgling group of about 30 high school students, teaching about autism spectrum disorders and how sensory overload \u2014 perhaps brought on by the crowd the party was expected to draw \u2014 can cause some individuals to become overwhelmed and aggressive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will always have staff members with us, but I wanted people to know what to do just in case,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Special education teacher Kristi Heath said Splater is a natural at leading the group. Before Peer Pals began, she was already indispensable in the classroom, whether joining in celebrations or handling more difficult situations \u2014 like a student acting out.<\/p>\n

For the first Peer Pals event, club members went out of their way to make everyone comfortable, surprising the students with small gifts and Valentine\u2019s Day treats.<\/p>\n

Davis, along with senior David Burris, chatted quietly with Michael Rulmer, 17, a student in the special needs program, until the time came for them to give him the presents they\u2019d bought. Davis and Burris grabbed their selections from shopping bags stowed nearby and handed the stuffed animals to Rulmer, who hugged the soft toys to his chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a lion and a tiger,\u201d he said. \u201cThank you!\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a touching scene for those who work with students with special needs every day.<\/p>\n

Kelly Hoover, an instructional assistant, was excited to see so many students get involved with the Peer Pals program, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know some of these kids are probably feeling nervous and unsure, but everyone here today was willing to step up, and for that I commend these kids,\u201d Hoover said.<\/p>\n

To read the full story click here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The recent Valentine\u2019s Day celebration brought together 22 students for the kickoff of a student-led initiative at Eastern Hancock High School aimed at filling a gap in the district\u2019s special education programming.\u00a0Peer Pals provides students like Jenkins, a member of the school\u2019s special education program, a chance to interact with their peers in a supportive environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":91877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"news-single-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[676],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-archive"],"yoast_head":"\nMaking Connections - Best Buddies International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2017\/02\/17\/making-connections\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Making Connections - 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