Dixon-Smith teens become high rollers STAFFORD >> Four are 'buddies' with autistic students
Boys in Stafford County school volunteer to be buddies with autistic students
Date published: 12/12/2007
By CATHY DYSON
For 45 minutes a day, four students at Dixon-Smith Middle School get the chance to teach as well as learn.
The students--all boys--volunteer to be buddies to children with autism in Linda Jennings' class.
"I just love working with the kids, they have such great personalities," said Sam O'Neill, an eighth-grader and buddy for three years.
To get into the program, the boys have to fill out applications, provide recommendations from two teachers and have a background check, of sorts, done on their school records.
They opt to be in this program, called "High Rollers," instead of studying art or music, consumer science or keyboarding.
Seventh-grader Billy Bolinsky is convinced he's got the best elective class in the Stafford County school.
"I'm helping kids who need a little more help, and that's 20 times better than singing in the chorus or playing in a band," he said.
Jennings, the teacher, has worked with disabled children for six years, and she's always asked other students to help with hers.
When she was at Gayle Middle School before moving to Dixon-Smith last year, students walked her kids to breakfast, sat with them during lunch and helped them on the buses.
Jennings has the only buddy program in Stafford, of the 16 autistic classes.
"This was her brainchild," said Brenda Wallace, one of two county autism coordinators. "She designed it, set it up and sold it to the administration as a program, and it's really because of her that it works."
Jennings and the other adults in her class probably would give the credit to the middle-schoolers.
"We've been really, really lucky," said Judy Basluke, one of three paraprofessionals who work with Jennings. "The buddies we get are great. It's like, where do you find these rare kids?"
The other buddies are Jacob Berlin and Zach Swaney.
Zach hangs out with the seven autistic students--all boys--after school until their buses come, and so does Alex Uribe. He was a buddy last year, but didn't have room in his schedule this semester.
The buddies have to learn about autism, a brain-development disorder, before they can work with the students. They discover that some autistic children can read and write; others can't speak.
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Linda Jennings' program started shortly after 9/11 when the phrase, "Let's Roll," was in the news a lot.
That's what Todd Beamer said when he led passengers to retake the plane that was hijacked by terrorists and eventually crashed in Pennsylvania.
Jennings and her students thought "High Rollers" was a good name for their group of buddies, who volunteer to work with children with autism. |
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Date published: 12/12/2007
Most recent reader comments:
Such a good idea!
(posted by
travelin_bone
, Dec. 12, 2007 10:50 am)
The autistic students get the one-on-one attention they need and the buddy gets a lesson that can't be taught from a book - patience and compassion. I wish Spotsy would adopt such a program.
keep up the good work
(posted by
bosmom
, Dec. 12, 2007 5:51 am)
What a great, inspirational story. I think it's great that not only do these boys volunteer to do this, but that they have learn about the disorder before doing so. Keep up the good work boys. You're doing a great thing.
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