Students Portraying Acceptance Resulting in Kindness helped with another successful event with the Regional Education Service District, last Friday, April 25, at Alma High School. Joining the MoCi class for their prom which included many other schools within Gratiot and Isabella Counties.
This was a big achievement from SPARK since it is a new club at SLHS and since previous activities were with just the St. Louis MoCi students. Being able to join the class for its prom opens a door to more opportunities for the new club.
A head teacher of one of the Moci classes, Holly Paksi said, “Every school calls their peer to peer club something different (SPARK, LINKS, Peer2Peer, etc.) but they all serve the same purpose; to build a more inclusive school environment for their special education peers to grow within. I think everyone can relate to or be empathetic of feeling lonely, left out, or excluded and it isn’t a feeling one enjoys. I firmly believe that my students making friends with other SLHS students, and having people in the hallway to intentionally say ‘hello’ to, would contribute to a more positive educational experience for them.”
Paksi also said, “I hope to see the SPARK program grow more over the coming years! The MOCI programs do lots of fun outings (bowling, swimming, rec center activities, prom, fishing trips, restaurant trips, etc.) and we would love to invite more friends to join us in the coming years! We enjoyed the chance to share our joy with others and to have more familiar faces to dance around with! From the dancing, to the crowning, to snacks, to pictures! It was a perfect event with smiles all around. And as for the Loons game coming up, we are so excited to have the club join us! We love the chance to hang out with friends and we love watching the Great Lakes Loons! Last year was good fun and nice weather, and I hope for the same this week!”
Club adviser, Andraelle Snyder, was unable to join the club for their first big event with the program. Snyder said, “I was very proud of the student representatives that I sent, especially for it being our first activity outside of the school building and I was not able to attend with them. The three young ladies represented themselves, me, SLHS and SPARK with pride. I wish that the club name and mission was getting out there to students more so that more people would want to be involved, but I understand that comes in time.” Snyder also said “I am so excited for the next activity which SLHS and the MoCI classrooms housed in our building will be attending the Loons Game on Friday, May 2nd. SPARK members will be wearing sporting brand new T-shirts and will be intermingling with the MoCI students at the game and helping enhance their experience
Overall, this won’t be the last time the club “sparks” a difference as they have many more events in mind not only for this year but for more to come. The club will continue to leave a mark and push to make a difference not only in the school but for those around them.
