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FHNtoday.com

The Student News Website of Francis Howell North High School.

FHNtoday.com

The Student News Website of Francis Howell North High School.

FHNtoday.com

Countdown to 4th Quarter!
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Student Show Outstanding Ability

* Editor’s Note: This story was a 2008 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award Winner. The award honors reporting on issues that reflect Robert F. Kennedy’s concerns including human rights, social justice and the power of individual action in the United States and around the world. For more information check out the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights.

Joe Dozier walks in one of the downstairs hallways at his high school. He is held up by a walker that is being pushed by his aide. Every now and then he sits on the back of the walker and picks up his feet, letting the device and the para-professional do all the work.

“Come on Joe,” Ms. Cheryl says quietly.

Students walk around Joe. Some almost bump into him and some even stare at his sideways amble. They see a person who has trouble controlling his head movements, nonetheless his legs. They see a student who is in the way. They see a mental handicap, but what they don’t see is the understanding in Joe’s eyes.

Back in Ms. Lisa’s classroom Devan Lemaster is finishing up a packet of worksheets containing fill-in-the-blanks, crossword puzzles, and short-answer questions. He has Ms. Lisa help him read the questions so that he can find the answer for himself.

“We go by first names,” Special Education Department Chair Juli Smith said. “It’s normally just easier for our students to use.”

Slowly, Devan realizes he is finished and it’s time for lunch. He likes lunch. When prompted, Devan says he’s going to get a burger and pickles and mustard. He likes those things.

Standing in line just before the mass of people rush in to get their food for the 4a lunch period, he asks for what he likes.
“Burger” He smiles at the lady behind the counter.

He plucks a tongful of pickles out of the dish, but as he sits down at the table he realizes he forgot something.

“It’s okay Devan,” one of his para-professionals says. “I’ll get it for you.”
Across the table Mike Nabholz eats his lunch and says hello to passersby every now and then. Some acknowledge his greeting and stop to ask how he’s doing. Others ignore him completely.

Mike is more outgoing than some of his classmates. He even gives high fives and handshakes to people he knows. If you’ll let him, he’ll talk your ear off.
He points to a student’s ID badge and says “I’ve got one of those too.”

He pulls out a blue ID with his picture on it. It says 2010. This is a projected graduation date for Mike, though many of the special education students stay longer than four years at North. In fact almost all of them have the option to stay until they reach the age of 21 and most do.

It’s Mike’s second year at North which means he probably has at least four more years of education.

“They aren’t going to school to necessarily learn the things you do,” Smith said. “It’s not so much about the content. They are here to learn how to interact and socialize with people in different environments. That’s why we like to have more regularly educated students interacting with them.”

After lunch there’s a game going on in Ms. Lisa’s room. Andrew, Jaycie, and Christian are playing against Ryan, Joe, and Devan. Each person has four laminated cards laid out in front of him or her. Ms. Lisa takes turns asking each person a question.

“Christian, how would you look if you saw a movie star when you opened your front door?”

Christian looks down at the cards and puts on a face of deep reflection. Finally he enthusiastically picks up the card with an animated face on the front. The face is of a surprised boy with a mouth stretched into a wide “O”.
Good Job.

Joe’s turn.

“Joe, what do you look like when you are sad?”
Joe doesn’t communicate through words. He generally doesn’t use too much sign language, and it can be hard for him to use facial gestures as well. But- somehow- he gets his point across.

“Joe, what do you look like when you are sad?”

He points to the card on his right. It has another animated face on the front only this time it’s a girl. She has a frown and her eyes are downcast. She looks sad.

Joe nailed it.

At the same time, down the hall in Ms. Juli’s room, Ben Barteau is working one on one with Ms. Juli on their sign language. He signs the words she shows him on a card, but Ben has a hard time concentrating. Ms. Juli helps him.

“Show me your ready, and put your hands in your lap.”

Patiently Ms. Juli waits.

He does as he’s asked. They continue. After getting three in a row right, he misses one and loses his concentration.

This is what it can be like some days. Students take a few steps forward and one back. Then they leap forward a few feet and fall backward once more.
Later in the day, Gabby Martinez joins Mike to put up the office announcements around the school. She walks from corkboard to corkboard and strategically places the four sheets of the morning announcements on the boards with tacks.

Gabby likes to do this. She even fights with Mike about where on the board to put the sheet. It seems like she takes pleasure in these simple daily activities, not because the action itself brings her joy, but simply because of the new interaction she has as a result.

Most of the students contribute to the community through out-of-class activities such as recycling, office work, and kitchen work. These activities prepare them with job skills and also give them something for their resume. But they also contribute in a different way.

They bring a new perspective on life, and can help people understand how precious that time between birth and death really is.

Each student has a story to tell. They are each a human puzzle; a 2000 piece jigsaw full of bright colors that can sometimes be hard to put together.

“I think that all behavior is communication,” Lisa Pentecost said. “It’s just a matter of figuring out what they are trying to say. It’s the key to finding out who they are.”

Joe stands outside Ms. Juli’s class waiting for Ms. Cheryl. He watches the students passing by. He sees them and tilts his head as if thinking to himself, and he makes a noise. Ms. Cheryl puts a hand on his back. Joe knows it’s time to go.

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