BWF celebrates Circle of Friends week

Brookwood Forest Elementary celebrated Circle of Friends week Feb. 20-23. The aim of Circle of Friends week is to educate all of our students in grades K-6 on disability awareness, disability etiquette, inclusion, acceptance of differences and working to overcome barriers of all kinds. It is also a time to show our sincere gratitude to those who serve our children living with challenges.

The week was filled with many educational opportunities. Informative videos were shown to all grades daily during the morning broadcast and also included special video messages from two former BWF students living with challenges. Susan Malloy and her dog, Tiger, from Hand in Paw did a presentation for the second- and third-graders. Bob Lujano, 2004 Paralympian in Rugby, author of the book “No Arms, No Legs, No Problem” and Information Specialist at the Lakeshore Foundation, did a presentation for the fourth- and fifth-graders. The kindergarten and first-graders watched an educational, age-appropriate video to highlight Circle of Friends week. In addition, since BWF does an excellent job of inclusion year-round and almost all of our BWF faculty and staff work with our students with special needs, they were all invited to a “Staff Appreciation Dessert Bar” during lunch.

Everyone enjoyed this special week and will hopefully carry the Circle of Friends message with them throughout the year and through the rest of their lives. This week was chaired by Maurine Halpern.

-Submitted by Kathleen Woodry.