At the start of February, Stoughton High School students heard a new segment added to the announcements: a weather report hosted by student Isaac Campion.
Learning strategist Sander Hansen helped orchestrate the new segment of the announcements based on activities that Campion was already doing in class.
“[Weather] was something that [Isaac] and I were doing in the first semester for one of his classes, just kind of something consistent for Isaac to do in his Environmental Sciences class. He would say the date and give the temperature, and he would go outside every day and check the weather to see what it was, and then he would ask Google what the temperature was for the day,” Hansen said.
Campion corroborated that he enjoys weather-related activities and that his favorite part of the announcements is telling SHS the date and day of the week.
These announcements have been a positive part of the day for many members of SHS, adding a bit of fun to start the day.
“[I’ve seen] a lot of positive reactions from students and teachers. You know, people that are saying it’s their favorite part of the day, and, you know, something that just adds some happiness to people’s days. I think just because he does it in a fun way, and you can tell that Isaac likes doing it too,” Hansen said.
Not only are the announcements fun for students and staff to hear, but they’re also a great way for Campion and other students with disabilities to feel more included within the high school atmosphere.
“I think for [students with disabilities], it helps them learn new skills and shows them that they can do things and be part of the school community. It’s tough for them to find either an outlet or find, you know, their space in high school, so this just gives them a way to find their space and show their skills,” Hansen said.
The announcements are part of a larger initiative by the special education department to include more students within SHS.
“We’re always trying to find different ways to make sure all of our students feel included and share their voice. We just thought this was a creative way to get one of our students […] to share his voice and share something that he enjoys doing and something he’s good at,” Hansen said.
Learning strategist Megan Blankenheim was the first to put the plan to have Campion featured in the announcements in action.
“All students benefit greatly from inclusion. It creates a community that values diversity and the talents that we all bring are respected and appreciated,” Blankenheim said.
Although this is a great project to promote inclusion throughout the school, some students have taken on other tasks.
“We do morning deliveries with the shack for coffee, and Friday pick-me-up deliveries for teachers. Some students also do some jobs around the building,” Blankenheim said.
The department hopes that, in the future, more students can take on bigger projects such as features in the announcements.
“It’d be great to have other students involved. You know, this was something that Isaac was already doing with me, and it was something that could be easily adapted into the announcements. We thought there are some other ideas for some other students to do, either things in the announcements or other things around the building,” Hansen said.
