Five North Middlesex Regional High School students have made a significant impact on their school community by supporting efforts to install an adaptive swing at Spaulding Memorial School in Townsend.
The students — Elizabeth McNabb, Giuliana Angelucci, Sophia Giglio, Nora Donnelly, and Vivian Henry — identified inclusivity as an issue as part of their Civic Action Project.
Civic Action Projects are student-led. Students research challenges in the community individually, in a group, or class wide. Students gather data and identify root causes of the issue. They then propose solutions to community leaders and work to mitigate or eliminate that issue.
All students must complete a Civic Action Project in Grade 8 in alignment with state education frameworks and must have the opportunity to participate in a project in high school.
Through their research, the students determined that the Spaulding community would benefit from an adaptive swing, making the playground even more inclusive in the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“We chose this as a way to continue the work we all do in our school’s Best Buddies program,” in which students support classmates with intellectual or developmental challenges, Giglio said. “We are drawn to helping others with disabilities and when we became aware of the need in one of our own towns, we knew that this was a perfect project for us.”
Their solution was to install an adaptive swing, which can assist children with mobility challenges or sensory integration issues and other special needs. Swings also help students improve balance, spatial perception, and body control.
The students raised money at school events and through a GoFund Me account, raising $895 toward the purchase and installation of the swing. The students made the donation at the school on Friday, Nov. 8.
“These students showed genuine concern for others and are making our school community more accessible and inclusive,” Spaulding Principal Kate Guzjieka said. “There are so many things they could be spending time and energy on, but they chose to work on this, and we are incredibly grateful.”