Gift of gratitude
Stephen Dey presents a check to Our Lady of the Assumption School leaders and students. The donation will go toward expanding the school’s PACE program, which provides hands-on special instruction to students with learning disabilities. (Troy Hull | Catholic News Herald)CHARLOTTE — Stephen and Jessica Dey are giving back to Catholic Schools in gratitude for the extraordinary support they say the Diocese of Charlotte’s schools have provided their daughter Avery – who was born with Down Syndrome and now is a junior at Charlotte Catholic High School.
Parishioners at St. Matthew, the couple recently donated $1,000 through their Inclusion Rocks Foundation to Our Lady of the Assumption’s PACE program, just one of many inclusion programs the diocese’s Catholic Schools offer special needs students from early childhood through high school.
PACE stands for “Providing Academically Appropriate Catholic Education,” a name that reflects the mission of all of the diocese’s special needs programs. Dey said it is “impossible to describe” all the ways these programs have benefited his daughter.
“The inclusion program has helped her develop social and people skills which will be critically important as she moves into a job-life after school,” he said. “She also just loves school, and life at school has helped her develop life skills like navigating directions and time management, and at the math level she is learning important things like how to deal with finances.”
The Deys established Inclusion Rocks to help schools implement inclusion programs, initially as a private foundation then last year obtaining tax-exempt status. The Charlotte-based foundation provides resources for special needs students in Catholic and non-Catholic schools, and to support educators and administrators who work with these students.
The foundation’s work includes securing grants from other organizations to support special needs education.
“Gestures like the gift from Inclusion Rocks support our core belief that every child, as a unique creation of God, deserves our best effort to help them achieve successful and joyful lives,” said Catholic Schools Superintendent Greg Monroe. “We can only do this in partnership with parents, parishioners and the community.”
Having come through inclusion programs at St. Patrick School and Holy Trinity Middle School, Avery now participates in the Options program at Charlotte Catholic, which provides a pathway for special learners from elementary through high school and into college.
The Deys initially sought out Catholic schools because they said public schools didn’t have programs that met Avery’s specific needs.
Our Lady of the Assumption School’s PACE program is designed for elementary and middle school students. From grades 2-5, students spend time in self-contained settings with daily opportunities to attend classes alongside general education students.
The school also offers the Modified Academic Program (MAP), designed for students who require a modified academic curriculum. Like PACE, this hybrid program offers instruction in both self-contained classrooms and with general education students. Instruction in core subjects is adapted to each student’s ability level.
Occupational and speech language therapy are also offered on a weekly basis for younger students at Our Lady of the Assumption. Students in these programs can continue education via the Options path at Holy Trinity and Charlotte Catholic.
Dey said the diocese’s inclusion programs are a blessing not only because they benefit special needs students, but also because of the understanding and social lessons they offer other students as well.
“That’s a facet that is wildly overlooked…,” he said. “Students who interact with their special-needs peers are starting to develop empathy, compassion and other important social skills. It’s a win-win for everybody involved.
“When you see the kids interact with each other through programs like Best Buddies at Charlotte Catholic, or at dances and football games,” he said, “it’s amazing to see what is happening.”
— Christina Lee Knauss
Learn more
At www.charlottediocese.org/schools: Find schools and learn more about the special learning programs in the Diocese of Charlotte.