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Show A10 • WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2009 S cho Covering what matters most BECOMING CARE Courtesy photo FOREIGN EXCHANGE: Above, Romanian psychologist Teodora Racoveanu meets with administrators and staff from Nebo and Alpine School Districts, providing shared ideas across international borders. ' •• i Oakridge School serves students with disabilities Christy Hardman STAFF WRITER skills they will need to transition into adult living. Both of these skills include communication The Oakridge School, lo- techniques. cated at 780 South 1350 East in Kay said they have a lot of Springville serves children with community support, but it's not disabilities in the Nebo School enough. Kay said he's found the District. best way to work with people in Dr. Richard Kay has been the the community is through incluprincipal of the school since it sion, which means bringing people into the environment that is opened five years ago. Almost one third of the spe- set up to accommodate the special needs students at Oakridge cial needs of the students. There School are from the Spanish Fork are several BYU programs that are in cooperation with and Salem area. Kay said that these are the Oakridge, including the interlowest functioning students in the national studies program. BYU district. All of them have multiple students volunteer at Oakridge disabilities, including Downs syn- once a week to train before travdrome, cerebral palsy, blindness eling to Romania to work with and deafness, autism and many children with special needs in orphanages in Romania. other disfunctions. The teachers at Oakridge are On July 7, 2009 a Romanian trained and certified to deal with psychologist, Teodora Racovethe profound disabilities of the anu, visited Oakridge to learn children at Oakridge. Language methods she can implement back development is their number one in Romania. priority, and their second priority Kay said working with the is helping the students learn the international visitors helps them School District Katrina Davenport Spanish Fork Junior High atrina Davenport has taught F for over 12 years in Nebo School ~ District. She teaches at Spanish v Fork Junior High and has made a f. huge impact on many special needs f' students. \, Ms. Davenport gets to know each ifudent and encourages them to do their very best. She tailors her ^teaching methods to reach each Echild at their level and ability and stilts confidence in each student. She even follows up years later to ce how they are succeeding in life, a, Davenport continues to make Mtive difference with her students •^Spanish Fork Junior High. SPONSORED BYt SECURITY HOME MORTGAGE expand their own thinking, and improve their methods at Oakridge. Kay said that community support is essential to the work they are doing at Oakridge. He gave a quote from David Berliner: "It does take a whole village to raise a child...What we seem not to know how to do in modern America is to raise the village; to promote communal values that insure that all children will prosper. We need to face the fact that our whole society needs to be held accountable for providing healthy children ready to learn, as our schools are for delivering quality instruction." From a preface in a book he is writing, Kay said, "One of the most important attributes for people in 'the village' to possess is a genuine valuing and caring for the welfare of the young people in their village." He discusses the difference between care-taking and care-giving. "Care-taking' is doing things for others. 'Care-giving' is helping others learn to do things for themselves .M Both Spanish Fork and Springville high schools have been involved in volunteer efforts with Oakridge. Springville LDS Seminary has student volunteers that bring the Oakridge students to seminary classes with them. One of the things Spanish Fork High does with the school is make hospital dolls in their sewing classes that are given to pediatric patients. They also have Spanish Fork students come in as interns. At Oakridge, the school year extends until July 16, 2009, and they will start again in the middle of August. They have what is called an extended school year or ESY program, to have a minimal break. "A regular school schedule is essential, to keep the students coming with regularity. Routine is very important to their progress," Kay said. Kay has been an educator for 45 years. He was a professor at BYU for 20 years, and among other things, was the principal of Landmark. He was also over the No Child Left Behind program at Nebo district, and has been principal at Oakridge for the last five years. "The two experiences that have clearly been the most satisfying are being principal at Landmark, and my work here," he said. "Getting to work with these kids, having interaction with them and building relationships with them is the most rewarding thing in my whole career." One of the main goals at Oakridge School is to secure more community involvement. Kay said that anyone interested in volunteering needs to fill out an application from Oakridge School, or the district office, and have a background check, then contact the school at (801) 491-2165 for a schedule of needs. H H SFHS Choir Fundraisers The award-winning Spanish Fork High School choirs are getting ready for another fantastic year under the direction of Shea Bradshaw. The competition chojrs are holding several fundraisers: car washes, a yard sale and a multi-high school dance. All money raised will be used by the competition choirs to help offset their costs for costumes, fees and tour. Car washes will be held on July 18, 25 and Aug. 15, 2009 at Central Bank on Main Street and by The Original Stevenson's Slice-A-Pizza south of Stiopko from lO'a.m.-l p.m. A big yard sale will be held at the Nebo School District Office at 300 South Main St., Spanish Fork on Aug. 8, 2009 from 7 a.m.-12 p.m. The big event for all students at Spanish Fork, Maple Mountain, Salem Hills, Springville and Payson High Schools will be a fiveschool dance to be held Aug. 1, 2009. Tickets will be $3 at the door. The dance will be' held from 8:30 p.m.-ll p.m. in the parking lot between C Building and the football • field at Spanish Fork High School. j_ fid o . •;& • ' : - . • • " # : t.;. |