From a wide-open, carpeted gymnasium with a huge screen where dozens of students raced, cheered and played together – to a heated pool with every safety feature needed to ensure security for all involved, students from Highland Pines and Schall Elementary Schools engaged with their cross-school partners while their teachers observed and facilitated. This Inclusion Celebration was the vision of Stephanie VanPetten, Highland Pines School Assistant Principal and her staff. There to support her staff and students at their celebration, Stephane watched from the sidelines.
Through collaboration of the Michigan Association of Administrators of Special Education and Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, Stephaie was partnered with Michelle Blaszcynski as a mentor, before Michelle became MASSP’s Director of Leadership Induction & Development.
The two said their partnership is a “perfect match.” They met online multiple times to share, discuss and plan. Michelle said it was obvious from the beginning that Stephanie and the staff where she works were beyond all the basics – they have a good handle on a positive school climate and culture.
Highland Pines School serves as a centralized extension of the nine local school districts which make up the Tuscola ISD, serving students from birth to 26 years who need highly concentrated special education and therapy services.
The key planner working with Stephanie, Adapted PE teacher and Special Olympic Area Director, Anne Osborn, works with the Unified Champion Schools program to pair special needs students with regular education students for leadership and sports activities.
“I definitely knew that Anne was the person to start with because she’s got really good connections in the community and also in the building,” Stephanie said. “And so she ran with it. I mean, she was off, and I was like, texting her, and she’s like, ‘Oh yeah, I already got some ideas. Let’s meet next week. I’ll let you know what we’re gonna do.’ So I was like, ‘Awesome. Thank you so much!’ And really I just have been asking them what the plan is, and they’re just doing it.”
“I think what’s fun is, you are a natural mentor to them,” Michelle said to Stephanie, “and so it’s just that opportunity of what you can do with a thinking partner, when someone just gives you a little encouragement to dream and to think about what was best for students, all students.”
Ann said she sees benefits for all students involved in the Unified programs.
“I would say, for my special ed students, they get to hang out with students their age and kind of learn their lingo and learn those social cues that they would need. And the high schoolers, I see way more of a benefit than [my special needs studens],” Anne said. “For the general ed students, because then they see that maybe that special ed student’s really not that different than they are. They’re doing the exact same things. They have the same kind of interest. They just learn in a different way.
“And so when they see each other later on out on the weekend at a ball game or something, then they kind of can sit and chat, and they’ve kind of become friends. Because we’ve done it each year, they keep the same partner, and it’s a real fun experience to see they can build relationships.”
She noted that for administrators who are already participating in Unified programs, they can apply for Unified Champions grants if they have regular ed students and special ed students in the same physical education classes. Their schools may be eligible for grant money for equipment for your PE program.
Fourth grade teacher Becky Warden from Schall Elementary School works with general education students in Caro. She stood at the side of the pool with teachers from both buildings, chatting with colleagues while keeping an eye on students. She said that when Highland Pines students visited her classroom, her kids were eager to make space for them in their classroom and were excited to work with their new friends.
Seeing one another again for their inclusion celebration was a culminating event for the kids and educators. Despite all the management and planning required to bring the two groups of students together multiple times, Becky said it was totally worth the effort.
“Absolutely, absolutely. I just can’t say it enough,” Becky said. “You know, our kids have to experience others, and – I don’t know if I just want to say and – be tolerant, you know, and just accepting.”
Though this particular program was designed for elementary students, Becky said secondary school administrators should definitely open the school doors up and just have students experience joy from others through collaborative programs.
Throughout the day, Stephanie and Michelle walked side by side, seeming like familiar friends, though the’d only known each other for months.
“What I love about the [MASSE & MASSP mentor program] is you get somebody to collaborate with, and Michelle was the perfect person for me to get,” Stephanie said. “I don’t know how they knew the perfect person. Like, we match. We match. If I had a sister, it’d be Michelle.”
Michelle said Stephanie is like the sister she’s always wanted.
Stephanie said she is lucky at Highland Pines to be the assistant principal working hand in hand with the principal. Staying at the school isn’t even a question for her.
“Definitely,” Stephanie said. “I’m staying. I’m retiring from here. I always say that, because I mean you get to be around the kids.”
As soon as she finished her comment, Michelle brought the topic right back around to her specialty.
“We’ll have to add you in as a mentor soon,” Michelle said.
