By: Jasmine (High School Intern)
They aren’t the stars of the basketball team. They aren’t on the honor roll. Yet, they exhibit the true heart and spirit of River Ridge. Everyday, they are eager to learn, achieve and expand their horizons. These students belong to the Special Ed program.
“Being Special Ed is different then what everyone thinks, we are all equal,” Marissa Gutierrez, a senior at River Ridge said. Life Skills is a program offered at River Ridge to kids with learning disabilities, and other handicaps. “The students see someone with disabilities, and they get shy or maybe uncomfortable, but once you get to know them, they are great students,” said her teacher Mrs. Glover.
They help keep the campus clean by volunteering to pick up trash, which most of them enjoy doing, such as Marissa Gutierrez and Justin Zahn. They also volunteer in the student store at lunch time and during CORE/Flex, which is a program that River Ridge uses to reward students with good grades; students with F’s are sent to a CORE class to do school work to improve their grades, whereas Flex is considered the reward with thirty minutes of free time. Many of these students use this time to pick up the trash within the school campus.
“Their hard work and contribution to this school often go unnoticed to the average hawk eye, when really they are the heroes of our school,” said Sarah Jane Bracy, a student who attends River Ridge and has spoken with these students often. She was inspired by their hard work and dedication to the bettering of her high school.
“I like helping out a lot because it’s my last year here,” said Gutierrez.
Many of the students help others with tasks such as getting them lunch, or helping them to their next class. They enjoy taking trips to places like the farmers market, a Healings Heart Ranch, and many other places. These places give the class different ideas and ways they can help out River Ridge as well as give them a rewarding outing. Not only are they learning to give to the school, they are learning to give to the community.
“Their willingness to help is inspirational,” Diana Soto, another student, said.
The students also enjoy being a part of the main student body. Most of the Special Ed students are enrolled in regular classes to be with the rest of the student body. They have made a lot of lasting relationships with their fellow students.
“Justin has swimming with me, and he is a lot of fun. We call him the ‘diving man’ because he does them every day off the board,” said Nate who has swimming class with one of the students in the Special Ed class.
From all of the Hawks here at River Ridge, we thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to make this school a better place.
