By Nance Ebert, Contributing Writer
Southborough – Project Unify was founded last year at the P. Brent Trottier Middle School and has already made a huge impact with club members, students in the Transitional Learning Center (TLC), the Assabet Valley Collaborative, and faculty.
There are currently almost 40 participants in this club meant to promote inclusion among all students. The students meet a couple of times each month on a Friday morning before classes begin. They map out a strategy for upcoming activities and discuss any issues that need attention.
Special Olympics reached out to the Trottier School because of the inclusion program. Several families have a connection and an affiliation to this event and they brought this to Principal Keith Lavoie’s attention.
“The TLC [program] is predominantly for those students with autism that really benefit from a ‘home base’ as much as possible,” he explained. “They are included into other experiences in the school like social studies, science, lunch and more. Where Project Unify comes in is for the special events and extracurricular-type things.”
Many of the students have been in the district TLC program since pre-school and are very beloved among students and teachers. There seems to be a special bond that has formed and Lavoie could not emphasize enough how genuine and powerful this relationship is.
The other subset is the Assabet Valley Collaborative which is for students who are ambulatory. Many are nonverbal and require significant care. Some of the students come from a neighboring town. The collaborative hires the teachers and support staff. These students have also become an integral part of the school community. Project Unify is one of the things that have formally helped them become part of the school’s operation.
“When Trottier Principal Keith Lavoie asked for a couple of volunteers to help with this program, Lisa Klein and I jumped at the chance to help. Right now we are gearing up for one of the biggest events, which is the Special Olympics,” explained Project Unify Co-chair Pam Lunder. “For this event, we will need about 25 students from Project Unify that will help in various capacities on the day of the event, June 8. For me to see the joy and enthusiasm the students have to help with this program is inspiring. I just love doing what I do.”
“With any disability there can be a lack of understanding. Here, with Project Unify, there is an understanding. It’s heartwarming to see the genuine caring, encouragement and acceptance these students all have for one another. It’s very powerful,” said Lavoie.
Some of the other programs that Project Unify has been involved with are the Volleyball Marathon, Halloween Party, Fun Run, Locker Decoration and more. The student volunteers seem to work well together, have great ideas and do whatever is needed to execute them.
“What I appreciated about the idea of Project Unify is that it should not only be about Special Olympics, it could be all year long with so many different activities,” said Co-advisor Lisa Klein. “Our first tier goal is to have activities be inclusive. The collaborative and the TLC are the most obvious students to include. However, my goal is to include all students as there might be students who are lonely or just need help, where it’s not obvious.”
Trottier student, Gabby Brudner, designed the Project Unify t-shirts. Another student, Jared Lipkin, designed the website and worked with the technical specialist to link it to the school’s website.
“All of us here at Trottier have helped to create a climate that is welcoming and embracing to all of our students. Project Unify has become an organized student-run club that we are all passionate about,” said Lavoie.
Photos/Nance Ebert