From Jones County High School Teacher Leah Bodnarchuk
It’s been said that life sometimes makes a full circle… So let me tell you the story of how mine did just that… In the fall of 1996 while attending college in South Georgia, I unknowingly signed up for a course that changed my life. As a Speech Pathology major I was required to take an education course- Exceptional Children. Because of this class and a young man named Marcus, whom I met while completing observation hours required for the course, I changed my major to become a Special Education teacher the very next semester. Marcus was one of the students in the resource class I was assigned to observe. Marcus met me at the front door of his high school each morning to walk me to class. His outlook on life and his ability to only see the positive in others was inspiring- he simply made me a better person just by knowing him. He is the reason I became a Special Education teacher.
I began teaching students in a self-contained Moderate, Severe, and Profound Intellectual Disabilities Special Education class at Jones County High School in the fall of 1999. Along with a functional curriculum I always incorporated an Adaptive P.E. segment as a part of my daily routine. Each week I noticed that a lot of general education students would stop to speak to my kids on a daily basis at lunch, in the halls, and on their way to other classes. Our student body as a whole has always impressed me. Because of their eagerness to mingle with my students I constantly thought that an inclusive classroom segment would work well in our school. But, I just didn’t know how I could integrate this type of inclusion into an academic setting. In the fall of 2006, I was asked to help re-establish a local Jones County Special Olympics Board. I gladly accepted! As a member of the local SO board, I became more active with my classes bowling team, as well as the local and area games. Because of my involvement with Special Olympics, my interest in starting a fully inclusive or “Unified” program within our school finally became clear- Why not start a class for the general education population to become partners/mentors to my kids and do it in the form of a physical education class.
I pitched the idea of a “Unified P.E. Class” to my administration in the winter of 2007 and they were very supportive. I next took the idea to our local Special Education Coordinator; she was on board as well. Finally, I sat down with our counseling staff and formed a class description as well as an application process for acceptance into the class. We held an open enrollment meeting in the spring of 2008 and had over 50 students apply for the class. Selections for the Unified partners were based on individual class scheduling for each applicant, a brief description of why they would like to be a Special Olympic Volunteer/Unified Partner, teacher recommendations, and parent approval. The class was established and completely full by the summer of 2008. With the support and enthusiasm from our school administration, overwhelming enthusiasm of fellow Special Education teaching partners, and support from the Physical Education Department the JCHS Unified Program has proven to be an exceptional addition to the academic character of our school.
Since we established the Unified program at JCHS five years ago, many of our partners have decided to become Special Education teachers because of their participation with the Special Olympics organization and in the JCHS Unified program. However, one of the partners in particular that stands out is a wonderful young man named Justin. Justin joined our Unified class in the fall of 2011 as a junior. He immediately made genuine connections with many of our more outgoing athletes. However, the most remarkable connection he made with one of our athletes Tucker a nonverbal Autistic young man. Because Tucker is nonverbal he generally tends to “hang in the back of the pack” but in this case he immediately took to Justin. They became instant friends!
When I was asked to write an article for Project Unify, I immediately thought of Justin and Tucker. It warms my heart to see how Justin goes out of his way each day to include Tucker in his day. Justin meets Tucker each morning and walks him to class, stops by our classroom to walk with Tucker to Unified PE, and eats lunch with him every day as well. Last summer after nominating Justin to be a student mentor at Camp Inspire I received a call that truly touched me. Justin called me to say a simple “Thank you!” He thanked me for nominating him to attend the camp and let me know how being a volunteer at Camp Inspire changed his life. He said that because of the Unified program at JCHS, attending Special Olympics state games, and mentoring athletes at Camp Inspire he had decided to become a Special Education teacher. WOW! I actually helped someone else find their “Marcus”. Talk about validation! So now we are back to “the full circle in life” that I mentioned in the beginning of this article. I am happy to have been a part of Justin’s journey in life finding his “Marcus” as I did back in 1996.
“My name is Justin, and I am a senior at Jones County High School. I believe joining the Unified program at my school is the best decision I have ever made. The Unified Special Olympics program has shown me that though obstacles are thrown at me I can always rise above them! Over the past two years I have been given the awesome opportunity to work and play alongside some of the greatest kids on earth. Since joining Unified, I have developed one of the best friendships of my life with my friend Tucker. When I first met Tuck, he did not talk at all. He basically stayed away from everyone. After a couple of weeks in class together, I decided to talk to him. At first I did not get much of a response. But, after a couple of days he began to respond more and more. After a week, Tucker began to choose me as his partner. We would run our laps together, complete our class stretch routine together, and play our assigned game each day together. One day we even lead the class stretch routine together! Then I started eating lunch with Tuck each day and walking to almost every class with him. Simply “hanging out” with Tuck is where I realized how much I like working with Special Needs kids. I guess that’s why my teacher’s selected me to go to Camp Inspire. After going to camp I discovered that I didn’t like working with special needs students- I LOVED it! When I returned home I couldn’t thank Mrs. B enough. I was so grateful that she started our Unified program and that she saw something in me that deserved to be nominated to attend Camp Inspire. If it were not for her starting our Unified program I would never have known my true calling in life to become a Special Education teacher. I thank her and all of my other Unified coaches for all they do! I especially thank Tucker- for being my friend.” ~ Justin Daniels
As an educator and coach, I am most proud of the Unified program here at Jones County High School because of the friendships that have been made between our students/athletes and their partners. Because of the Unified Special Olympics program our student athletes have been empowered with independence, personal friendships, and a since of belonging to the school culture here in Jones County. They not only belong to a school athletic team, they compete at a state level each year, and they form lifelong friendships on campus as well as throughout the state. However, I am most proud to say that we have been the facilitators’ of many of our Unified Partners finding their “Marcus” in life as Justin did with Tucker. It is most definitely great to be a JONES COUNTY GREYHOUND!
Sincerely,
Leah Bodnarchuk
Jones County Special Olympics Coach
Jones County SO Committee Volunteer Chairperson
AND
Justin Daniels
Jones County High School student
Unified Partner