McGaugh Sea Lions celebrate Autism Awareness. All last week the students, teachers, parents and staff at McGaugh spread awareness, compassion and support for Autism. The hallways on campus were lined with beautiful blue ribbons that show our goal to educate and increase awareness of Autism. The Autism Awareness banner went up on display by the lunch benches in the middle of campus and students added their messages and thoughts to the banner throughout the week.
Michelle Leer, our parent coordinator for Autism Awareness Day, organized many different activities for our students to participate in and gain a deeper awareness of Autism. “At McGaugh, it’s not enough to just be aware of Autism. We have taken strides to truly educate our students on what Autism is, including the challenges as well as the triumphs it brings to those living on the Autism spectrum. The result is a week of celebration and recognizing that different doesn’t mean less— sentiment that is at the heart of our school year around.”
Students had an opportunity to experience video simulations in the Sea Lion Computer Lab for a more insightful look at what it is really like for people experience sensory sensitivity and have Autism. The McGaugh’s Jester visited the TK-2nd grade classrooms to read children’s books about Autism to educate our students. For our 3rd- 5th grade classrooms, the Autism Support Team, consisting of teachers and administrators, will be visiting to host a Questions & Answer session regarding Autism. In addition, teachers will be sharing various videos in their classrooms that explain what Autism is from the perspective of people living with Autism and their families’ perspectives. To complement their awareness week with the spirit of giving back, McGaugh students also participated in a coin drive to support autism awareness fostering learning that they can make a difference in the lives of others.
The official color for National Autism Awareness Month is a bright royal blue and the McGaugh community really came together to light up their campus blue at the end of the week on Friday the 8th.
Amy Belsha is the assistant principal of McGaugh Elementary School.
