CUMMING, Ga. — A pair of students in Forsyth County are showing what the holiday spirit is all about. The two Forsyth Central High Schoolers led a week-long celebration for their special education students called "The Greatest Gift Week."
Mary Beth Lowe and Emma Humphries came up with the idea a week before Thanksgiving as a way to celebrate their special education department and exceptional students, all while raising awareness about a different "exceptionality" each day.
Monday was dedicated to raising awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder Tuesday was learning disabilities, Wednesday highlighted orthopedic impairments, and Thursday surrounded severe intellectual disabilities. The week-long awareness campaign culminated with a holiday party on Friday.
The Holiday Social was designed to bring exceptional students and general education students together to build relationships and celebrate the holidays. The attendees made Christmas ornaments, decorated cookies, and played games all while getting to know each other.
Forsyth Central High School Principal Mitch Young says he's just in awe of the kindness he sees in the student body, “You can’t help but get choked up. What thrills me the most is that anytime you walk into a special situation like this that is driven by students for students, you know we’ve got something special going on here."
Faculty member Emily Reiser explained that the week was a way to connect general education students and exceptional students, "It's a positive way of making them aware of their differences while learning how to understand each other. I knew it was going to be great, but when you walk into a room that’s full of life of our special needs students and then our general students taking the time to throw this for them..it just means so much. It fills my heart.”
Principal Young adding, "The 'Greatest Gift Week' is an outward reminder of what we are about as a school. We are all about selfless service and giving back to our community. We work to make sure that everyone feels included and connected at our school."
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