Sophomore honored with a national Youth Vision Grant Award.
By: David M. Campbell
Warren Schaeffer, a sophomore at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, believes that students in mainstream classes can learn a thing or two from special-education students.
Warren, a 15-year-old who is working hard to dispel the notion that special-needs kids like himself lead lives much different from other teen-agers, was honored recently with a national YouthVision Grant Award.
Once a year, the YouthVision program challenges young people, ages 9 to 22, to submit ideas for projects that address conflict, prejudice or violence in their school or community.
Warren’s proposal came about as part of a classroom assignment by his resource center teacher, Audrey Rothbloom. It called, in part, for a field day at High School South to "encourage community building and communication" between special education students and those in mainstream classes.
"I just thought it would be a good idea to bring kids together because there are a lot of misconceptions about special-services kids," Warren said.
Dubbed by Warren "Unity Day," the event was held May 18 and was attended by about 75 high school students. School was closed early that day and a barbecue and games like soccer, tug-of-war, an obstacle course and volleyball were held outside the school.
"The event went terrific," Warren said. "I think it did bring kids together. I hope it goes even better next year."
Tom Smith, Warren’s supervisor, shared a similar sentiment.
"It was a huge success, and very informal," he said. "Certainly nobody was labeled either-or. It was a bringing of students together."
The next phase of Warren’s plan, a mentoring program where incoming freshmen with special needs will be teamed up with older, mainstream students, will begin with the start of the new school year in September.
"Warren wanted to take the in-class support idea and kind of bring it down to the grass-roots level, and kind of made it his own. It’s pretty neat," Mr. Smith continued. "He will be developing a buddy system for new special-education students who might be overwhelmed with the size and the workload of the schools. They would have a mainstream mentor."
Warren said of his mentoring proposal, "These days, teens are going through more than what their parents went through, things they might only be able to talk about with friends, and that’s how I feel."
He continued, "There are a lot of students who are afraid of opening their mouths." He said he hopes the mentoring program will help promote a greater sense of belonging, trust and friendship among all high school students.
In February, Warren attended a Youth Vision training workshop in Washington D.C., where he took part in seminars on conflict management, volunteer training and fund raising, skills which will come in handy as he continues to make a reality of his proposal.
"The energy and genuine sincerity of the young people who designed and submitted ideas was impressive," said YouthVision Director Marge Baker. "Young people believe that they can make a difference and they are willing to put on their thinking caps and tackle very challenging community problems."
Ms. Baker said of Warren’s efforts in a recent letter she wrote to him, "Your concern for your community and its citizens is an inspiration to those of us trying to make the world a better place."
Warren, meanwhile, has his work cut out for him.
"Next year, I just hope to help with the buddy mentoring program with training, conflict resolution and weekly meetings. It’s good," he said.