Spotlight

Nine CHS seniors received a blast from the past Wednesday in the form of letters they wrote to themselves as Myers Elementary fourth graders in Ms. Erika Wimms’ class during the 2017-18 school year.

Students present to receive their letters included Kamal Addison-Anderson, Madison Alexander, Madelaine Leighton, Jayla E. Martin, Isabella Nicosia, Cynthia Priestley, Courtney Prosser, Henry Wasserman and Umi Young.

“Most of you haven’t changed at all. This is one of my favorite days of the year,” said Ms. Wimms, who has been carrying out this tradition since the 1997-98 school year and will continue to do so into retirement. “I feel so proud seeing all that they have achieved over the years.”

Ms. Wimms presented the students with their letters, some of which were then read aloud for the group to hear. The students were surprised, touched, amused and, in some cases, confounded by what their younger selves wrote. Many of the letters contained career, academic, extracurricular and college aspirations.

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To keep students safe and prepared, CSD conducted school bus safety drills throughout this week. With the help of school safety officers, and facilities and transportation staff, students practiced disembarking the bus from the rear emergency exit in case of an emergency. 

“Safety First! School bus evacuation drills teach our students how to respond if there's ever an emergency on the bus,” said CSD Supervisor of Transportation Dawn Woods. “Practicing these drills helps ensure that everyone stays safe and calm while exiting the bus when there’s an emergency.”

After exiting the bus safely, students were reminded why bus safety is important in an emergency situation. 

“Just like we have fire drills for building safety, we need to practice for emergencies on the bus as well,” said Myers Principal Jason Lytle. “While it’s never happened in all my years as a principal, it’s important to be prepared.” 

For more information on bus safety rules and regulations, visit https://www.cheltenham.org/departments/transportation/rules-and-regulations.
 

As part of Autism Acceptance Month, Myers Elementary hosted an autism acceptance event Tuesday that gave students the opportunity to understand what it is like for students with autism to function in the world with hands-on, interactive stations focused on communication and sensory needs. A secondary goal was for neurotypical students to learn how to better engage with their neurodivergent peers.

Some students with autism may have a hard time with communication. Many use devices like an iPad or sign language to help them communicate. They may also have a high sensitivity to sensory things like loud noises or materials on clothing, which makes focusing difficult.

Following a program featuring district administration, students engaged with two communication stations and two sensory stations to learn what it’s like to live with autism. The communication stations illustrate for neurotypical students how difficult it can be to communicate as a person with autism, either by using an electronic device or sign language. The sensory stations show what it’s like to try to focus as a student with autism.
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