New School Year - New School Gear

With summer break already halfway finished, Starlight School Specialized Service Program and Preschool staff are getting ready for the new school year. This year, children can expect to receive intervention and lessons with the new school robot, Milo, play on the new basketball court, and take a rest on the donated buddy bench.

Because of a grant that TuscBDD received from the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, Starlight School now has a Milo robot. Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) that attend Starlight School/Preschool will participate in lessons with Milo that improve their social and behavioral skills. Lessons will be facilitated by TuscBDD's Occupational Therapy Assistant, Farrah Raines, and TuscBDD's Speech-Language Pathologist, Katy Ganz. To learn more about how Milo will help children with ASD, please visit https://robots4autism.com/milo/.    

The Tuscarawas Film Festival donated a $500 gift to Starlight School that helped enable construction of a new basketball half-court on the campus. The donation was presented by Quaker Cinema owner, Mike Ernest, and fellow Film Festival volunteers in May. The construction of the court is now complete and ready for students.    

Mr.Andrew Wilsterman presented Starlight School with a Buddy Bench. The Buddy Bench’s mission is to teach children about kindness and help those struggling with loneliness on the playground to feel included. Mr. Wilsterman, the founder of the Good Neighbor Project, started the Buddy Bench project with the guidance and direction from local resident and supporter of the Good Neighbor Project, Mary Ann Lauber. His message to the students was, “If you see someone that needs a buddy, be a buddy. Everybody has the power within themselves to reach out to someone else, and we all know how good it feels when someone reaches out and helps us."

Samantha Wottle & Enoch Wright of STEAM Centers commissioned the bench for Starlight School. STEAM Centers is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit based in New Philadelphia, Ohio. Their mission is to provide exciting, educational experiences for children and families. STEAM strives to create interest in science, technology, engineering, art and music. STEAM provides opportunities to explore integrated approaches to various topics.

If you see someone that needs a buddy, be a buddy. Everybody has the power within themselves to reach out to someone else, and we all know how good it feels when someone reaches out and helps us

Kerri Silverthorn Fri, Jul 12th, 2019