Building a bridge between special-ed and regular students: Schoolcraft students share talents and good times in Common Bond program

By Alison Black Special to the Kalamazoo Gazette

It isn't always easy for special education students to feel connected to a school community through extracurricular activities.

At Schoolcraft High School, a student club named Common Bond has been making it easier for more than a decade.

Over 100 students — about one quarter of the high school's student body of approximately 400 — signed up last fall to join Common Bond, an extracurricular club that pairs regular and special education students in a variety of monthly activities and events.

More than 90 percent of the school's cognitively, developmentally and emotionally impaired students have joined mentor students this year in activities such as a trip to a local bowling alley, a video game and crafts night, and a magic show, said Common Bond founder and special education teacher Amy Green.

"I see the club as a win-win situation for both the challenged kids and the mentors because they all learn from each other," Green said.

The club gives special education students peers that they can relate to and feel comfortable around in classes or the hallways, Green said.

"For our mentors, all of us are out there in the real world know people who have challenges, and I think this experience brings a lot of compassion," Green said.

Carlee Stoker, a junior, has been a mentor in this "X-treme friendship club" since her freshman year. Stoker joined to spend time with a special education student with whom she has been friends since first grade.

"You always know you're going to have fun and you get to interact with unique people you might not have talked to," Stoker said.

"Sometimes, you have to talk to people and just kind of get them to do the things that we're all doing"--such as rock-climbing on a recent trip to Sherman Lake YMCA camp, Stoker said--"but it always works out."

Sophomore Riley Pressley, a second year club member, said that she enjoys eating lunch and spending time with club members outside of a classroom setting.

"I've learned a lot about the other challenge students in the (autistic instruction) room," Pressley said. "Challenge students can be fun to be around, too."

For some students, "some of their challenges are social skills, so this gives them a chance to practice being outside of class with others," Green said. "It's not just a good time -- it's a chance to interact."

Higher-functioning special education students often make the transition from mentee to mentor, Green said.

"They sign up just wanting to be a part of something, but when they get here, they end up stepping up, shining and evolving as mentors," Green said.

For Green, a constant challenge is funding: Common Bond was started with funds from a mini-grant awarded by the State of Michigan that has since dried up, and the club stays afloat with donations from parents and community organizations, Green said.

"The big question is always, 'How do we fund this?' I always say, 'Beg, borrow and pray,'" Green said.

Students pay what they can to participate in monthly activities, and club funds make up the balance where families have trouble. Often, parents will send double the amount needed for their own child's participation in order to help out another student, Green said.

On tap for the rest of this year: a miniature golf outing, another trip to Sherman Lake camp, and the annual "Senior Send-off" party to thank the club's seniors for their participation.

"It's just been kind of cool how the whole thing has evolved over the years," Green said.

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