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Show School for Handicapped! to Open Officially Hlh indication ceremonies at the Dan C' person School will be Thursday, tober 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the school, Ml fording to Alpine School District 'SS'hool is special in the district: V' is for the severely handicapped C" m American Fork, Pleasant Giflve, Lehi, Orem and surrounding :; C Brady, principal, will give the Vrfcome at the dedication with Jim V ' Jelson, Director of Student and Community Services, giving the invocation. B b Scouts from Peterson School will conduct the flag ceremony; and musical numbers will be by the Peterson School chorus. Speakers will include Dr Max B Welcker, superintendent of schools; Dr. Dan W. Peterson, former superintendent of schools in the district; and Eileen Peterson a member of the Board of Education. Mrs. Peterson will also give the tp--- -if( j i I ' ' ' ' 1 ' dedicatory prayer. Kent Abel, assistant superintendent, will give special recognitions and awards. There are 102 students currently attending the school, Brady said. The 19,600 square foot structure was designed by Architect Eric Sand-strom, Sand-strom, and constructed by Broderick and Howell Construction Co. It was built at a cost of $1,275,100. "This is an expensive building because of the specialized types of equipment we have here to accomodate ac-comodate the handicapped children who attend," Brady said. The building is designed so six classrooms can be added to the north and six classrooms to the south if expansion is needed in the future. It serves all of the Alpine School District, with students five to 22 years of age in attendance. "A number of our students come in wheel chairs, so having a building all on one level certainly helps," said Principal Brady, as he recalled classes held previously at the Harrington School, a two-story structure built in the early 1900s. A move was made into the new Peterson School last May, he noted. "We are the only school in the district who picks up our students at their door and delivers them back to their homes; who has our own physical therapy room and registered physical therapists; and our own hydropool," said Principal Brady. "Our building and equipment is all designed with the handicapped in: mind, . and this meant additional . construction costs," he commented. Youngsters attending may - or may not - be able to comprehend academic subjects, but most can develop pre-vocational skills of some kind, the principal noted. "If they are able to advance through our classes, they go on to the Timp Industries in Pleasant Grove where they can work. : We also have three who have left: f there at age 22 and are working here -one as a cook's helper, one as aj custodial matron and one as a teacher), helper," he said. Principal Brady said the school has 10 regular classrooms, plus an arts and crafts room, a home living area, a motor development lab, and a physical therapy room. The staff of 35 includes seven full- time certified teachers, a part-time physical education teacher; a full-time full-time and a part-time speech therapist; and and a full-time and a part-lime physical therapist. The teachers have all had specialized training in working with the handicapped, hand-icapped, he noted. The students are divided into levels, rather than grades, and have primary, elementary, junior high school and senior high and older classes on two tracks - academic and pre-vocational. Personnel skill developments, leisure time activities and educational programs are taught with the programs "tailored to the needs of each individual child." "We work closely with parents to individualize the program for the child," Brady said, noting "because we are small, we have a very informal in-formal atmosphere here and get to know both the parents and the child much better than they do in regular schools. Parents drop in at any time to see how their child is progressing -and to even help with classes," he said. Brady, who had previously served as principal at both American Fork Junior High School and at American Fork High, said if principals at these levels were able to work as closely with parents as he is at the Peterson School, many of their problems would be solved, but "unfortunately this isn't possible at the larger schools." "We are the fastest growing school in the district," Brady laughed, stating their enrollment had doubled in two years. "At first the students were lumped together according to age, but this didn't seem logical with their different dif-ferent capabilities so we began our present program and this has worked out much better," he stated. The program for the severely handicapped in the district began about 15 years ago with small programs in, Orem and in American Fork. This was up-graded with the opening of the Harrington School when the new Shelley Elementary School was opened. He stated they have the same hours as do elementary schools - from 9 a.m. until 3:20 p.m. - '-"ir' "4 ..- XX. I )X r f y f : tpp 'ixV- 7r7??r-' X : A s J ' ' f U i - ' x . : , i I ill ri I r II M ii .. .r.,. PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT- Walter Maughn, a teacher at the Dan W. Peterson school, and I Principal Con Brady tell how playground equipment, designed for the handicapped, aids in ; giving them exercise, confidence while they play. "Our kids love to come to school. There is a whole different attitude here than in the regular school," Brady said, adding, "When school opens, it is just like a big family reunion with everyone hugging everyone and so happy to see each other. : "These students want so much to do ; what we want them to do. They are : really motivated to try and show so ; much appreciation for even the ; smallest thing you do for them. It is -just great to be working with them." 1 PHVSICAL THERAPY Robyn Hall, a registered physical therapist, assists student at Dan W. Peterson school with exercises in walker. School will be dedicated on October 22. |