My Story of the 2014 Best Buddies Challenge

by Kevin Nortrup, LABBB student, Lexington High School in Mrs. Cronin, Mrs. Dickson and Mr. Allen's class

On May 30 and 31, I did the Best Buddies Challenge with my dad. The Best Buddies Challenge is an annual event that helps people who have disabilities and shows that they can do so much for the world. The Best Buddies Challenge is hosted by the New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, who has been doing this event for years, along with other Patriots players and celebrities.  This event also allows you to make new friends with people who have disabilities and show them that there are people around the world that care about you.

On May 30, which is day one of the Best Buddies Challenge, there is a big football game at Harvard stadium and you can watch or play the game. Tom Brady is the quarterback for both teams and he along with other Patriots play in the game. You can get your picture with the players and celebrities like Tom Brady, Teddy Bruschi, Miss Massachusetts, the mayor of Boston and others.

On May 31, the bike rides begin. You have a choice to do the 100 miles, 50 miles, or a 20 mile bike ride or you can do a 5K run. The whole race goes from Boston to Hyannis port, down on the Cape. My dad and I did the 20 mile bike ride from the bridge to Hyannisport.  When you get to the finish line there is a big lunch at Hyannisport where you get to have lobster and all kinds of great food. Later that night at the Kennedy Compound there is a big music festival where the famous Drop kick Murphy's will play.

 by Carol Pappin, Teacher, LABBB Francis Wyman Elementary School

Room 107, at the Francis Wyman in Burlington, studied plants this Spring, their parts and their needs.  As part of the classroom project, students attempted to grow pumpkin seeds that were harvested from a pumpkin grown the previous year.  Guess What?  It worked!  Now the students have planted the seedlings in our community garden and are charting their progress.

A big "Thanks" to Peter Coppolla for the guidance in proper planting procedures. 

LABBB Upcoming Events

• For more information on all LABBB Recreation Activities

  please click here: LABBB Recreation

• July 2, Carnival Trip. click here for info and sign up for Carnival trip

• July 9, Summer Fun Dance: Summer is here and it's time to let loose and have some fun! Let's party together with a night of music, dance, face painting and socializing. Students will leave LHS, go to Chateau in Waltham for dinner, then leave for the dance for 6:00pm. click here for info and sign up for Summer Dance.

• July 11, PaulaPalooza: 10:00am, MacKenzie Clement Musical Performance in the Lexington High School Auditorium. Lunch, Music, Dancing in the cafeteria after performance.

• Juiy 18, PaulaPalooza II: 10:00am, Maggie Sabella, Dance Performance in the Lexington High School Auditorium. Lunch, Music, Dancing in the cafeteria after performance.

APE and Recreation Updates

June was a busy month for LABBB Recreation. We had successful trips to the Pawsox game, Taza Chocolate Factory tour and Phantom of the Opera.

We had 44 students sign up for the Chocolate trip so we need to book two dates for this tour! 

GWARC has also contacted LABBB again and has invited us to join them for their summer Fun dance on July 9th

It was a very exciting and riveting show. 

Our first Recreation Trip for July is to the Lexington Carnival on July 2.

Boston Harbor Cruise

By Jeff Caritey, Teacher, LABBB Arlington High School

Students at Arlington High School enjoyed a historic Boston Harbor sightseeing cruise. On Thursday, June 19th, the three classrooms at AHS had the perfect sunny day to explore the Boston Harbor. The 90 minute cruise is a fully narrated tour of all the historic and contemporary milestones of Boston's Inner and Outer Harbor, including famous battlegrounds, National Park areas, Boston's working industrial port, Logan airport, and the National Guard ships, to name just a few. Following the cruise, the students had lunch at the Christopher Columbus Park. It was fun educational day enjoyed by all!   

Burlington High LABBB Students on the Go

By Sue Ceurvels, LABBB MS, OTR/L

May 9, 2014

Students from Mr. Asklund's class visited a group home in Cambridge. The group home is run by a company called Specialized Housing. Several former LABBB students live there and were excited to show the students and staff their house and rooms. Each person has his or her own room and lots of shared living space. It was very interesting for our students to think about life after 22. We had many interesting discussions after our visit.

June 6, 2014

The students from Ms. Hirth and Mr. Asklund's classrooms spent a day in the great outdoors at Great Brook State Park as part of an effort to expose them to outdoor activities that can be done in the summer. The students had a list of items that they needed to find while hiking in the park. They brought iPads with them to take pictures of these treasures. At the end of the day, the students returned to school and gave presentations to the whole group about their day at the park. We all went home tired and happy!

June, 2014

The students from Mrs. Sabella's class have been developing a yoga practice for the past three years. They have learned many poses and have enjoyed the opportunity to spend time learning to move their bodies in a different and relaxed way. Here are some pictures of our students participating in partner work which is a favorite part of the class.

By Nicole Abrams, Teacher, LABBB Memorial Elementary School

"I made someone's day without being asked, without expecting something in return...My reward is the self satisfaction I get inside.  I feel good because I helped someone in need.  A smile or thank you is all I need to make my day SPECIAL.  I will look back and treasure these times the most.  Believe You Can"

                -Lynda Bannon

Memorial School Physical Education Teacher

Lynda Bannon, a physical education teacher at the Memorial School in Burlington, is a tremendous supporter of the LABBB community.  She has been teaching PE for the past 27 years and has always had a love for playing sports.  Just as she was inspired by people in her life, she aims to inspire the lives of the children she works with.  Lynda goes above and beyond to provide our students with opportunities to participate in adaptive physical education class, support our students who participate in the general education PE classes and make great efforts to create awareness and understanding of people with differences in our school. 

Once a week, the LABBB students look forward to attending PE class with "Ms. Bannon".  The students are always smiling with excitement as they walk down the hallway towards the gym.  They know just what to expect as she starts the class with the same warm up exercises every week.  After warm up, Lynda uses her expertise to engage the students in activities such as kickball, T-ball, and parachute games.  Students have the opportunity to practice generalization of skills including following directions, social skills, and gross motor skills while being introduced to new games and leisure activities.  Several of the LABBB students also attend grade level PE class.  Lynda always makes the inclusion of our students a positive experience by ensuring their participation and encouraging social interactions. 

This past year, Lynda created a presentation on people with differences.  She held a few small assemblies for 4^th and 5^th graders who were very interested in the videos and articles she showed them.  After attending the presentations, many of the children at the Memorial School reached out to our students on the playground, in the cafeteria and in the hallways.  It has created such a wonderful social environment for our students in the Memorial community. 

We are so grateful to Lynda for being such an inspiration to others,  and for her continued support. We want to end another wonderful school year by saying "Thank you, Ms. Bannon", you have made an impact on our lives and continue to put smiles on our faces!  

The students from Ms. Brown's classroom at Chenery recently completed a Science project assignment as part of the Science curriculum they have been working on when they swap classes twice a week for "Science with Ms. Bartlett". I was beyond proud of the finished products they brought in, and how hard the students worked on researching their choice of weather and the temperatures associated with it.

Students found pictures, researched facts, and put together posters on their chosen type of weather. Families were wonderfully supportive and helpful in making this a fun meaningful learning activity. The smiles, classroom cheers, and self-confidence levels that were displayed during the presentations practically brought me to tears. I was SO PROUD of these kids and how enthusiastic they were to present what they made and learned while completing this project! Super job Ms. Brown's classroom!! We are SO proud of you!!