The "Manhattan Optimist Club Bulletin": Vol. 2024 #32: 5-8-24
VOLUME 2024 May 8, 2024 NUMBER 32
President Bill Wisdom welcomed the membership and guests, and presented the reflection:
Understanding the foundations of love and acceptance is essential, not as some abstract thought process or catchy words. The idea of love and acceptance is that we accept the human being in front of us.
As human beings, we all are unique; therefore, our journeys in life are equally unique. Most people don't even know themselves well enough; it is impossible to expect that they would genuinely understand another remarkable human being.
Therefore, the only thing that we can do is accept the person in front of us as they are. When you combine love with acceptance, it becomes something compelling…. we often call it... unconditional love.
Cynthia Fortlage: Insights and Reflections on Acceptance.
The flag salute followed.
Program:
Ed Klimek introduced Jamie Schnee and Haleigh Jung, who began the program by explaining the Interpersonal Skills Class they both co-teach. Jamie is a special education teacher and Haleigh is an English teacher. The class started in 1997. For a time both Jamie and Haleigh were paras in the Interpersonal Skills Class (IPS). IPS is a year-long class offered to students with disabilities and general education peers who are seniors. The main goal of IPS is to learn about and embrace each other’s differences to learn how to work together and make the school, community, and world a more inclusive place. Their goal is to break down the barriers and stigma attached to disabilities and make Manhattan High School a more inclusive place. After the students leave MHS we hope they will pass that lesson on to the whole world. They want to make the world a better place. They have already seen a difference at MHS these past few years of the students being more inclusive. This year for the essay contest, two students partnered up to write their essays. It was very interesting to see the students come together and communicate in their own ways to write the essays. There are 48 students in the class, the biggest class at MHS. They meet in the cafeteria. Four days during the week they meet a work from their textbook, Demystifying Disability. They talk openly about disabilities; how everybody has similarities and differences and how they can work together to embrace each other. The fifth day they do activities in an open gym concept. In the Fall they go to a one-day YMCA camp, Camp Wood, where they do team building and learn to work together. The class takes what it has learned into the wider MHS community and sponsors inclusive activities. In the fall they do a talent show that is completely put on by the IPS students. They empower the students to work together to impact the entire school and leveling the playing field as much as possible. They are also encouraging all students to be more inclusive. On Valentines Day they make thousands of paper hearts with a chocolate kiss saying, “You are loved” and hand them out to the entire MHS student body. MHS is one of 40 schools in Kansas that is a Special Olympics Unified Champion School, including elementary, middle school, and high school, due to meeting the criteria of having the IPS classes, the inclusive events. They thanked the Optimist for being able to share information about IPS and honoring the students in the IPS essay contest.
Ed Klimek explained the senior students teamed up with one of students with disabilities to coauthor the essay. This team approach worked very well, and 24 essays were submitted. A committee of Optimist judged the essays and selected four essays as winners.
Michael and Nadia's Essay
Both of us started the year, friends, but we never knew what it would evolve into. The year started with something Student One was super excited for, and Student Two was very nervous for, that being Camp Wood. Student One was hot, tired, and exhausted, which set their own set of challenges, while student two was worried about whether they would be accepted due to their weight. As we went through Camp, we both realized that while we may have different challenges on different days, so much can be accomplished if we work together. This day became both of our favorite day of the year, and started the path for the best senior year we could have hoped for.
Student One is 17 and born with Down Syndrome. She says that while she feels different at times, she also is always a happy person. This, however, hasn’t stopped her from dancing her heart out whenever she can. We talked about how stage fright has also been a large challenge for her. She talks about how sometimes it just feels like her body shuts off, and it can make it much harder to get through certain events. Student Two has always struggled with their weight, and it has made life an obstacle to get through to say the least. He can become very self conscious, especially in shows, as he worried, he will fall behind what everyone else is doing.
Student One has used Dancing to overcome her challenges for years and years. Whether it be dancing on stage, or watching Hugh Jackman dance on Broadway, dancing has always been the best medicine for her. While some people look past Nadia, she is one of the smartest, kindest, and most generous people to have ever walked the halls of MHS. Student two has always relied on a great sense of humor to help overcome the challenges life has presented them. No matter what, if they are feeling down there is nothing a good joke can’t solve. Student two also uses music as medicine, always sing and dancing, especially in Pops Choir at MHS. While challenges can be almost paralyzing, both of us feel as if IPS has Helped us overcome the challenges we face on a daily basis. Student One after being in IPS had an interview for KU TPE, and was recently accepted into the program after showing great interview skills, and great communication. Student two has felt a group that accepted him so much more than he ever could have expected, and has loved finding a community of not only inclusion, but of such positive impact on this school. IPS has had a hugely positive impact on both of our lives, and we are so glad we met, and strengthened our bond through this class.
Cooper and Blake's Essay
Imagine yourself in a room with 60 students. The majority of them are talking and running around, being louder than usual, and three of them are screaming as loud as they can out of frustration. A lot not them are having bad days, and no body seems right. Then you would turn your shoulder and see Student One all smiley, laughing hysterically at the craziness of the room. Although there was chaos, Student One embraced it. Student Two on the other hand, they were having a heck of a time trying to cope with a variety of emotions this scene was evoking and find it challenging to take it in the same.
Student One is a junior in high school, and they bring so much to Interpersonal Skills. From them strutting their stuff like a fashionista as they come into school, to being the best comedic relief anyone could ask for, they are a blast. Even with all of these amazing things, though, Student One still faces many challenges in their life. Being diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy as a kid wasn’t easy and made it harder for them to communicate fully. They also use a wheelchair to assist them in moving around the building during the day. Even though Student One is non-verbal, they have still found ways to get their point across. For instance, during this interview as Student Two asked Student One questions, Student One would tap their hand (Student Two’s) for answering yes to a question. Another way of communicating is through what Student Two calls the claw. Student One will lock onto your hand with their ring, pointer, and middle fingers in the tightest death grip ever. As a sign of saying yes, Student One raises their hand, and yours, into the air to exclaim their agreement. Even through their struggles, Student One brings joy to the class. They are an agent of chaos, and they embrace the hardship.
Student Two is a Senior in High School, and they love to run. They also love nature and long backpacking trips outside with friends. Upon walking with Student One down the halls, they realized that Student One also loves to run, especially when there are people to run over with their wheelchair. For Student Two, challenges present themselves in a different way. As a very extroverted person, you would think Student Two was fine with people, but in reality, they have a fear of judgement and making mistakes. It is these insecurities that make life hard at times. Student Two often finds themselves denying what is good about them due to circumstances in life. This is where Interpersonal Skills, and especially Student One has helped them. In IPS, there is no perfect person, and everyone has their own unique qualities. To be different is a gift, and Student Two sees that more vividly now. Student One has also helped Student Two with gratefulness and Joy in life, embracing the chaos with whatever comes their way. They are partners in crime, and they will embrace the chaos together.
Lexi and Noah's Essay
We are writing this essay to share our challenges and how we overcome them, as this could potentially help others overcome their challenges. During the interview process, my partner and I found out we share a mutual challenge—communication. In this essay we will talk about our hardships dealing with said challenges, the steps we’ve taken to grow from them, and how Interpersonal Skills has significantly helped aid in our growth. Our hope is that we can help at least one person by sharing our experiences.
A life challenge for partner 1 is communicating when he needs something. Whether it’s needing help in class, needing to go somewhere in the building, or even just how he’s feeling. He is limited to the words on his communication device. It can be incredibly difficult, and frustrating, being limited to the words other people put on the device. Getting all his thoughts and true needs communicated are difficult on an everyday basis. How easily do think you would be able communicate if you were given a board with only half of your daily vocabulary? Partner 2’s challenge is also communicating her needs. She has found it difficult to ask people of authority for help when she needs it. This could be teachers, counselors, or even her parents. It’s hard for her to admit when she’s over her head and needs assistance. For example, she has really been struggling to come to school. Getting in the building and staying here is hard due to stress in school and home life. She hasn’t done the best communicating to her teachers that she needs a bit more support. Both challenges are valid, but the most important part is what we’ve done to overcome them.
For partner 1, his family, teachers, and speech pathologists have been doing their best to add as many words as possible on his device. Giving him a wider range of vocabulary significantly help’s his communication. Partner 2 has been talking to a teacher she’s very close with to get help in other classes. Going over her goals for this year has also helped her stay on track. If talking to a teacher is too stressful at the moment, she’ll send a email. Learning how similar, and different, our challenges and experiences are, can help us help each other learn and grow!
Interpersonal Skills has been extremely helpful for both partners growth. Partner 1 has been making new friends in IPS and then communicating his needs/wants to other students. Students also join him in Talker Group, it teaches other students how he communicates and how to help him. Partner 2 appreciates IPS because when she really doesn’t want to be in school and not in the best mood, she always leaves second hour with a smile. Being around positive people tends to turn her mood around. She wasn’t sure if she’d make many friends in this class, but IPS takes pride in having friendly, kind, and understanding kids in class. We are very grateful for what IPS has done to help us. We hope this essay can help someone learn how to communicate their needs better and get help when needed!
Anna and Alexia's Essay A6
The meaning of Interpersonal Skills is the ability to read signals that others send and accurately interpreting them to form an effective response. In the class Interpersonal Skills (IPS) at Manhattan High we get the ability to interact and form relationships with people we might not get to on an everyday basis. The class focuses on embracing our similarities and our differences, while also growing together through the everyday challenges we face.
When you walk into 2nd hour IPS at Manhattan High you see a lot of different people, you may not think some of us have much in common, but if you took a deeper look, I’m sure you’d see we have more in common than what meets the eye. Partner A and Partner B haven’t known each other more than this year, but through this class we have been able to form an amazing friendship! Partner A is senior involved in Track, and loves to bake, read and watch any Disney movie. Partner B is a sophomore who loves to watch TV, especially the show Ginny and Georgia, and just this year has decided to join the Manhattan High swim team.
When asked Partner B said that their biggest struggle was reading, but to overcome that challenge they enjoy listening to audiobooks from the Public Library. Partner A loves to read paperback books, so we were able to connect over that. We even have some of the same favorite books, if you see Partner B in the hallway chances are they will have earbuds in and will be listening to an audiobook. For partner A their biggest struggle is they feel like sometimes they need to be perfect, when in reality nobody is perfect. For partner A they choose to take a break when they feel that way, talk positive to themselves and remember its okay to not be perfect.
The class IPS helps us grow individually as well as together, through our challenges. For partner A IPS helped remind them that its okay to be different. None of us are perfect, we all have things that make us unique and special in our own way. For partner B their example of how IPS helped them overcome their challenges was when we went to Camp Wood a YMCA camp at the beginning of the year, they struggled with the rock-wall but with the support of their new friends they were able to conquer the wall! It was an amazing thing to watch.
It's important to share our challenges with people in our life for many reasons, but the biggest of all is if we share, we can get support from friends or even make new friends that can help you overcome your challenges, just like Partner B did climbing the rock wall. IPS has brought kids together from all different backgrounds and allowed us to all grow together in our challenges.
Guests:
President Wisdom introduced today’s speakers, Jamie Schnee, Haleigh Jung, IPS students, and parents.
Club Stuff/Announcements:
Jim Franke announced the first Optimist Park Volunteer Program workday is May 9th at 10:00 a.m.
Bruce Bidwell announced help was needed all day on May 11 for a softball tournament at Optimist Park to do maintenance on the infields in two-hour shifts from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Bill Wisdom announced the New Member Dinner will be held May 9 at 6:00 p.m.
Save these dates: May 25, Bill Snyder Half Marathon; October 19, Aggieville Chili Crawl.
Adjourned with the Optimist Creed
Next Weeks’s Meeting:
MAY 15: MORNING MEETING: Gary Fike, Riley County Extension Director: “Agriculture in Brazil.”
May Meetings:
MAY 22: NOON MEETING: Steve Havenstein: “Respect for the Law” recognition.
MAY 29: MORNING MEETING: “Business Meeting”