By Marieliz Cruz Personally I wanted to start this op-ed with the fact that I have two autistic cousins and they are awesome and wonderful. Autism does not define personality or who they are as a person. But what is autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? This refers to a wide range of conditions characterized by challenges with aspects of life including social skills, repetitive behaviors, language and nonverbal communication. Autism, or ASD, affects approximately 1 in 44 children in the United States today. Since autism is fluid and on a spectrum, some people with autism need a lot of attention while others are extremely high-functioning and may not “look” or “seem” what society thinks a person with autism might be like. Even though people with autism may have different struggles, they all are the same as anyone else when it comes to hopes and dreams. These people often see things very differently than neurotypical people through their senses, such as taste, smell, touch, sound, and sight. Sensory sensitivities can have a huge impact on an individual with autism’s everyday life. Sometimes someone with ASD will find things like bright lights or loud noises overwhelming, stressful or uncomfortable. They might get anxious or upset about unfamiliar situations and social events. Oftentimes, people with ASD find it hard to communicate and interact with other people, and find it hard to understand how other people think or feel. It is for these reasons that educating ourselves and others about ASD can make a difference. When we accommodate, accept, and celebrate everyone’s needs, we can create an inclusive environment that is great for all!
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By Sarah High
You might’ve heard about the Snowboard/Ski Club’s most recent trip to Mount Snow in Vermont and you might have the same questions I did. How many kids were there, how was the weather? Was it free, were there chaperones..and other questions may have crossed your mind– We’ve got the answers! On March 11th, 2022, Mr. Schaper, Mrs. Rios, 40 students, and 5 chaperones went onto a bus to reach West Dover, Vermont while the rest of the attendees traveled on their own. It cost around $100 to participate, but attendees agreed it was worth the price in the end. It was a very nice day for outdoor adventure, sunny and in the low 40’s and the temperature softened up the snow making it perfect to ski and snowboard in. The club hit the slopes all morning, met for lunch around mid-day, skied/snowboarded more in the afternoon and then left the mountain around 4:00 PM to make it back to Meriden for 7:00 PM. The trip was an extension activity provided by the WMS club. Regarding the clubs’ activity throughout the school year, members received a special group rate to ski/snowboard at Powder Ridge for 6 weeks from early January to mid-February. The club was founded by Mrs. Fieffer about 8 years ago, and Mr. Schaper feels that it is really neat having so many participants across all of the Meriden public schools involved in the club. To sum it up, The snowboard/ ski club had a great time in Vermont, this extension activity provided by the WMS Ski and Snowboard Club was an utter success! |
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