Enthusiastic crowd

The 13th annual Pathways-wide pep rally, "Celebrating our 30th Year of Panthers Success-Moving Forward Together" rocked the gymnasium at the East County Community Center on  

November 3.  An exuberant yet appropriately respectful crowd of students and staff cheered the young Pathways performers who demonstrated their accomplishments in drumming, poetry, step dance and video arts.  The students clapped equally loudly for those recognized for academic achievement.  As things got started, the lively Caribbean drum and dance ensemble, Goombay, entertained the crowd, getting people to do call-and-response and even try some dance moves.  Goombay is led by Elizabeth Melvin who is currently teaching drumming at Pathways-DuVal in a residency funded in part by the Maryland State Arts

Hats

Council. Later in the rally Pathways-DuVal staff and students formed a drum circle with Ms. Melvin and showcased their new skills.  Talent in the visual arts was just as much on display in the imaginative, colorful and fanciful jumbo-size hats created by each site in a Pathways school competition for the rally.

The spirit of the event was captured by the remarks of the keynote speaker, Daniel Kelliher, a successful attorney with his own law firm who told his personal story of living with bi-polar disorder.  He encouraged the students to see their emotional challenges not as obstacles but as opportunities to be more than "average", to take ownership of their talents and gifts and use all the resources available to them to turn the label of "disability" into the achievement of  "extraordinary".

Steppers strike their poses

The rally is the only time that Pathways students from all six schools come together to acknowledge the inner strength it takes to turn obstacles into opportunities and become educated, engaged and successful young adults. The students underscored Mr. Kelliher's message as they encouraged

Sen. Manno,  Dr. Williams, Rep. Arora with citation

the performances of their peers and good-naturedly competed in the basketball challenge.   Community leaders and legislators joined in applauding their achievements and determination.  State Senator Roger Manno and State Delegate Sam Arora attended the rally and presented The Pathways Schools with a Citation from the Maryland State Assembly recognizing Pathways' 30 years of success.

We came to Pathways in 2009 after an amazing route. It began soon after Sergei (age 5) came home [to us] from Russia,  and was a long, winding and frustratingly difficult path, through many different schools and programs.  After each failed placement I would believe that now we actually knew what Sergei needed. But really we had only another piece of a vast and confounding puzzle of a child who had suffered maternal deprivation, malnutrition, trauma and loss. But, oh, what an optimistic, loving, curious human being we were learning about.

You  may be thinking ... didn't they have psychological testing and recommendations from child development experts to tell them what Sergei needed?  Of course we did. Sergei has a stack of testing results that fill an entire file drawer. These were done by highly recommended "experts".  The reality is most schools, and many special education schools, have a one size fits all style program. The main issue is that kids are a dynamic ever-changing entity and once kids have lost ground in the first five years of life, it's a tough upward climb. What may work during middle school may not work at all in high school. Sometimes what works one day doesn't work the next! Life changing events in the family and community can cause fears and anxiety that severely impact school performance.

So when the county representative said to us "I have one more place for you to try", we were skeptical at best.  But when Sergei and I met Cindy Lamb at a Starbucks coffee shop near our house, Cindy didn't talk about the Pathways School, she asked a lot of questions about Sergei. There wasn't a formula for how to fit in. There was an effort to find out how to teach Sergei, the individual student. Pathways was the first school to ask to be educated about Sergei beyond what was on paper from former schools. Sergei's first Individualized Support Staff (ISS) found ways to help Sergei learn by the use of humor and giving him more time. Sergei worked very hard, but he could take breaks. Subsequent teachers have been successful using different methods, but all with the goal of getting Sergei available to learn. There is a good connection between therapist and ISS so areas of concern can be addressed when they arise.

The singular aspect of Pathways is rooted in this:  No matter what your past school placements provided or what needs were not met at other schools, Pathways is about learning about the individual student and what his or her unique one of kind needs are and then moving forward to provide for that student in a way that will result in success.

Sergei has been on the honor roll now for several semesters. His academic credits are on track for graduation in 2012 with a high school diploma.  He has earned over half of his work study and community service credits which he is trying to complete by next year as well. Additionally, Sergei has benefited immensely from the HoopEd program he attends weekly in Silver Spring. He comes home reciting the coach's philosophy of basketball which is really his philosophy of life and being successful. Sergei has also enjoyed guest speakers on creative subjects at the spring retreats. The mural project that is being completed in the new site here is also a big interest of Sergei's and he has learned a lot about composition from the artist in residence that he applies to his photography interest.  

I asked Sergei what he would say if he were to speak about what Pathways has meant to him. He said he likes the way his present ISS uses everyday applications to teach scientific principles and the opportunity to have a teacher in a non-classroom setting with minimal distractions. We as parents will always be the safe, loving non-anxious presence in Sergei's life that he needs so desperately. Fortunately, our latest stop along the journey of formal education has been The Pathways School where Sergei can successfully learn, contribute to the community and own a sense of achievement.