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Two years ago, when Aidan Wise began kindergarten at Greenwood Hills Elementary School in Richardson, his mother, Beth Wise, felt anxious.
“As the parent of a disabled child, there’s a lot to worry about,” Beth Wise expressed. “So when he started school, we wanted to make sure he had a placement where he was going to be able to move at his own pace and have enough support that he can be challenged.”
Aidan, who has Down Syndrome and other medical conditions, is non-verbal but communicates in his own way.
“I really wanted him to have friendships with his peers, but I know that can be a challenge because he doesn’t move the same way that other kids move. He doesn’t speak the same way that other kids speak,” Wise explained. “And Greenwood Hills, because of the staff and his peers, has become a place where Aidan is not just tolerated, but he’s accepted for who he actually is.”
Greenwood Hills, one of four Richardson ISD schools closing at the end of this academic year, has provided Aidan with a supportive environment. While he learns in a self-contained special education classroom, he also participates in some classes alongside his general education peers. However, next year, his classmates will transfer to a different school, leaving Aidan facing the challenge of adapting to a new environment.
“Obviously there’s some anxiety about moving to a new school next year,” Wise acknowledged.
To ease this transition, Wise is reaching out to Aidan’s classmates, asking them to write letters and send videos to encourage his future classmates at Brentfield Elementary School to befriend Aidan.
“It’s fun having someone different,” second grader Rebecca Norton remarked. “Treat him in the way he wants to be treated,” added second grader Sky Desouza.
“Everybody loves him, so he’ll make new friends and he’ll keep the ones he’s made here as well,” Special Education teacher Cynthia Shamblin affirmed. “Everybody has a need and want to belong…so I think it helps them grow as well.”
“The relationship has been beneficial for everyone,” Wise concluded. “Not just Aidan.”
Come the next school year, Aidan Wise will embark on his third-grade journey at Brentfield Elementary School in Richardson ISD.