'A Nice Marriage'
Special needs students have a new high school and new friends next door
By JULIA MARTINThe students sitting around the long table wore uniforms--white shirts with plaid skirts for the girls, gray flannel pants for the boys. The only difference was the large red letter on each black cardigan sweater--"A" for Ahern or "M" for Moore.
The students were intently preparing for the weekly Friday tests at the new Bishop Patrick V. Ahern High School on Staten Island. The program for developmentally disabled students, ages 14 through 21, is sponsored by the Seton Foundation for Learning, a nonprofit organization on Staten Island which raises funds for Catholic education for children with special needs.
The developmental disabilities include Down syndrome, as well as different forms of mental retardation and learning disabilities. The program is affiliated with the archdiocese's Department of Special Education.
The Ahern students, during the daily half-hour session, receive one-on-one tutoring from six or seven Moore Catholic students who volunteer during a morning free period.
Ahern High is located on the grounds of Moore, which provided classroom space last year to Ahern students while their school building was under construction.
The shared experiences between students of the two schools have resulted in "a nice marriage," said Diane D. Cunningham, executive director of the Seton Foundation.
The association "is working so much better than we could have ever imagined," said Moore principal Douglas McManus. "Our kids have been remarkable, and the Ahern kids are just a delight to have around. I really think it's great for both schools."
The groundbreaking for the archdiocese's first high school building for developmentally disabled students took place on April 30, 1999--"the answer to many, many prayers," Ms. Cunningham said.
Participating in the groundbreaking and also in the dedication of the handsome brick building Nov. 14 was Auxiliary Bishop Patrick V. Ahern, retired as the archdiocese's vicar for development. Bishop Ahern launched the Seton Foundation in 1986 when he was vicar of Staten Island and continues to serve as honorary chairman.
During the tutoring session visited by CNY Feb. 18, Ahern student Romina Greco was in a happy mood after she completed her worksheet on coins and currency with Moore sophomore Christina Kmet.
Romina said proudly, "I did this with Christina, and she checked over it and said everything was right."
Marisa Gallo had worked with Moore sophomore Danielle Tornabene, using index cards with words commonly found in food-shopping, such as sale and produce.
"Danielle helped me with the words. I'll get an A-plus in the test," Marisa said confidently.
Danielle told CNY, "People think we're helping them, but nobody realizes how much they help us. They're just so genuine, and they live life to the fullest--to have fun, to learn, to care about people--and that's the way life should be lived."
While the peer tutoring was under way, the remaining eight Ahern students worked on their reading and math skills in the adjoining classroom with teacher Maureen Mitchell and assistant teacher Roseann Holt.
A small table in the classroom contains a picture of Bishop Ahern and another of St. Therese of Lisieux, about whom the bishop wrote a book, "Maurice and Therese: The Story of a Love."
Sean Millet told CNY, "Bishop Ahern did a lot for this school. He comes here a lot." Sean added, "We pray a lot to St. Therese. She helped the bishop with the school."
A treat for the Ahern students are the twice weekly tai chi sessions conducted by a Moore senior, Thomas De Lacy, a certified instructor in the Chinese martial art.
Ms. Cunningham said tai chi teaches the students "a lot of relaxation techniques, self-discipline and impulse control--sort of like a seventh-inning stretch."
"It builds their self-confidence and their self-esteem," she said.
Tom De Lacy gives up his lunch period to conduct the tai chi session. "Tai chi expands the mind," he said, "and if I have this knowledge, I think I should share it."
The 15 Ahern students will give their first tai chi presentation at Moore's annual International Night on Friday, March 3. "Not only are the students excited, but their parents are also thrilled to have their children participating in extracurricular activities with the Moore students," Ms. Cunningham said.
The Ahern curriculum includes language arts, social studies, religion, prevocational skills and activities of daily living.
Several times a month, the students take field trips to stores, restaurants and the ice skating rink at Clove Lakes Park. Every Friday they attend a gym program at the Staten Island YMCA.
Moore incorporates Ahern students into many activities, Ms. Cunningham said, including freshman orientation, school liturgies and freshmen field day.
Sean, who is among the Ahern students who began their education at the Seton Foundation at age 5, is an altar server for Masses at Moore.
The first class for developmentally disabled children was opened in 1986 by the Seton Foundation at Immaculate Conception School on Staten Island, and served children, ages 5 through 7. By 1989, enrollment had expanded to students through age 14.
In 1994, the foundation opened the Joan Ann Kennedy Memorial Preschool for ages 3 through 5 in a renovated building of St. Mary of the Assumption School on Staten Island.
The Ahern students eat lunch in the Moore cafeteria. Ms. Cunningham said, "The Moore kids just informally come over at lunchtime and sit down with our students and have a normal adolescent kind of chitchat...Britney Spears, Ricky Martin and whatever."
Moore sophomore Jeannie Mantopoulis, one of the peer tutors, put it simply: "They're our new friends."