Students are putting a colourful foot forward to celebrate with a unique fashion statement today.
Dr. Morris Gibson Elementary School students are donning wacky footwear for Rock Your Socks Day as part of World Down Syndrome Day on March 22. (The actual day was Sunday, March 21, but was celebrated on March 22 at schools).
Berlin Kilbreath is a Grade 4 student with Down syndrome at the school. However, the day isn’t about her, it’s about recognizing Down syndrome with her friends at Doc Gibson.
“She is just another student,” said Bobbi Hunter, Dr. Morris Gibson School principal. “She has been with us since kindergarten. When I talk about long-lasting relationships and continuation of friendship, that builds up over time.
“Her friends are a big support for her and she loves her friends, wants to be with them. She wants to do what they do – play with them and learn with them.”
Berlin’s mom, Gina, said Doc Gibson School has been a loving fit for her daughter.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled with the level of inclusion that we have experienced at Dr. Morris Gibson ever since she first entered kindergarten,” Kilbreath said. “She has flourished there. There’s consistency and she is included every single day with her peers.”
While Berlin is part of the classroom, there are different learning goals for her than her peers.
“A lot of the goals are around reading, writing and numeracy and personal goals like communication and building friendships,” Gina said. “My husband (Troy) and I work together with her team to create a plan for success for Berlin.
“Her ILP (individual learning plan) is an evolving document. It has grown and changed with Berlin over the years.”
Berlin’s team consists of teachers and her education assistant for the past few years, Keri Gyulai.
Gyulai assists Berlin in the classroom. When she is away, Berlin gets help from Tina Spector and Vanessa Parkin.
As for mom, Gina has learned some things about herself since Berlin’s diagnosis. A lesson it sometimes take a parent a while to accept.
“We knew when she was three days old that she had Down syndrome and it was hard,” Gina said. “We had to grieve about the ideas of who we thought our child would be.”
Gina said she was sobbing when she and her husband were asked by a geneticist what their biggest fears were.
“I was a mess,” Gina said. “Is she ever going to have a boyfriend?’ ‘Is she ever going to drive a car?’ Is she going to ever go to university?’
"And Troy’s answer was: ‘I just want her to be happy.’
“I thought a lot about that. Berlin’s diagnosis didn’t change anything for Troy. I realized all the things that I listed and my worries were things that made me happy… Maybe none of my kids want those things.”
Being in the classroom makes Berlin happy – an inclusive classroom is a high-priority at Dr. Morris Gibson and schools in both divisions in the Okotoks area.
“Our students who have special needs – Kids With Individual Needs – are totally included in the classroom, they do get extra support which means they do have to do some type of activities outside of the classroom.” Hunter said.
“But for the most part we try to have them in the classroom as much as possible.”
And while teachers are important, the students are no. 1 in the classroom.
“What we know about child development is that kids need to be exposed to their peers, that some of the best experiences in learning are from peer modelling. What better place to get that than in a classroom with your peers?” Hunter said.
And it is a two-way street.
“What we find is our kids who have special needs want to be around their peers and those peers thrive in that environment,” Hunter said. “There is an empathy and compassion built in them to care for others.
“It is so heart-warming to see.”
Gina’s fears have subsided since Berlin was diagnosed.
She sees a bright future for her oldest daughter of three.
“Berlin has tremendous compassion, she is a spitfire for sure,” Gina said. “She makes up her own mind and is strong-willed and independent."
That spitfire enjoys her time at Doc Gibson.
"I like this school -- it's fun," Berlin said, adding the students are nice. "I like to do art."
