Madison Essig not only became one of the first students with Down syndrome to receive a regular diploma in DC's school system, she did it with a 3.7 GPA. She will be attending George Mason in the Fall.
On a related note, my son graduated from elementary school a few weeks ago, and will move on to junior high in the Fall. When we entered the high school theater for the ceremony, one of his classmates immediately offered to walk with our son downstairs to where the students were gathering--no prompting, just a kind gesture from a young woman who has become like a second sister to our son as a result of getting to know him in class. After our son walked across the stage, a young man who had waited at the bottom of the stage steps for our son to make sure he made it down OK walked with our son to his seat--no prompting or even a suggestion from any adult, just a kind gesture from a young man who has become like a second big brother to our son.
But, most heartwarming of all was when our son's name was announced and he walked across the stage. I will never forget the cheers that came from his classmates, and seemed to go on forever. It brings tears to my eyes as I type this.
My wife and I have fought constantly to make sure our son reaches his full potential and that he does so as much as possible in the regular classroom. We've pushed and prodded constantly to make certain that he has the same opportunities to attend overnight camp, social outings, and other activities with his typical peers. The school has, at times, been reluctant. And as parents we always worried that our son might interfere with the education and experiences of his classmates.
Meanwhile, those classmates have been trying to tell us all along: "we want Will with us; he's one of us and we will take care of him." All on their own, with no prompting--simply because they were given the opportunity to get to know my son.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...3d30e1-9516-482a-a8db-af1da47634b5_story.html
http://wjla.com/features/spotlight-...-school-after-being-told-she-would-never-read
On a related note, my son graduated from elementary school a few weeks ago, and will move on to junior high in the Fall. When we entered the high school theater for the ceremony, one of his classmates immediately offered to walk with our son downstairs to where the students were gathering--no prompting, just a kind gesture from a young woman who has become like a second sister to our son as a result of getting to know him in class. After our son walked across the stage, a young man who had waited at the bottom of the stage steps for our son to make sure he made it down OK walked with our son to his seat--no prompting or even a suggestion from any adult, just a kind gesture from a young man who has become like a second big brother to our son.
But, most heartwarming of all was when our son's name was announced and he walked across the stage. I will never forget the cheers that came from his classmates, and seemed to go on forever. It brings tears to my eyes as I type this.
My wife and I have fought constantly to make sure our son reaches his full potential and that he does so as much as possible in the regular classroom. We've pushed and prodded constantly to make certain that he has the same opportunities to attend overnight camp, social outings, and other activities with his typical peers. The school has, at times, been reluctant. And as parents we always worried that our son might interfere with the education and experiences of his classmates.
Meanwhile, those classmates have been trying to tell us all along: "we want Will with us; he's one of us and we will take care of him." All on their own, with no prompting--simply because they were given the opportunity to get to know my son.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...3d30e1-9516-482a-a8db-af1da47634b5_story.html
http://wjla.com/features/spotlight-...-school-after-being-told-she-would-never-read