State Rep. Kelly Pease takes questions from students on government and politics.
Reminder Publishing photo by Trent Levakis
WESTFIELD — White Oak School hosted a community celebration on March 19 and invited local legislators and city leaders for a tour of the campus and a peek into the work done by the school.
Founded in 1990 and on North Road since 1997, White Oak School provides research-based instruction for students with specific learning disabilities and related learning differences. Specific populations served include dyslexic, language-based learning disability, learning differences, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, auditory and visual processing disorders, nonverbal learning disabilities, ADHD and specific learning disabilities.
Head of School Jody Michalski told the Westfield News the goal of the day was to remind local leaders through their visit the importance of special education programs like those offered at White Oak.
“We’re small, but we’re mighty,” said Michalski. “With facing the challenges of budgets, we wanted to let people know we’re one of the only schools in the area that serves the student population that we do. It was a wildly successful morning just letting people know who we are but most important who are students are because they are the future, and we want to ensure that they have everything they need to go forth and make changes.”
Joining the visit of White Oak was state Sen. John Velis (D-Westfield), state Rep. Kelly Pease (R-Westfield), Westfield Mayor Michael McCabe, City Councilor Brent Bean and School Committee member Heather Sullivan.
The day opened with students in the school’s culinary arts class serving visitors with treats while members of a financial literacy class were also available to chat with visitors. The group was then treated to a performance from the school’s choir before heading to the school’s cafeteria where two students spoke of their experiences at White Oak and how the school has given them the confidence and opportunity to succeed in school.
“We hope you know the work you do directly affects every single person in this room and we are so grateful to each and every one of you from the bottom of our hearts,” said one student.
Students shared similar sentiments about how White Oak has helped transform their academic lives and how staff and programming led to a boost in confidence as a student with disabilities.
One student, a 10th grader, shared she has thrived since joining the school back in third grade thanks to the support of staff and the culture of the school community. She credited her teacher, a former White Oak student herself, for giving her the confidence to grow and believe in herself as an individual.
“I realized that disabilities are nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has their struggles and everyone has their gifts. If everyone could be authentically themselves without fear of judgment, maybe we could hear everyone’s voices and maybe we could make the world a lot better,” said the student. “My time at White Oak has shaped me. I don’t think a younger me would be able to believe where I am today.”
Following students’ comments, local leaders added much love and appreciation for White Oak and thanked them for allowing them to visit and see firsthand the impact of supporting schools like this. Velis told students even in the difficult times for all Americans presently, White Oak represented “the beauty on this earth.”
“Unless you’re living under a rock, a really, really big one, it’s impossible to witness what we just did and not say wow, that’s such a good, beautiful, awesome thing happening in the four corners of these walls, so thank you for including me on this,” Velis said.
Other local leaders expressed gratitude for the invitation to see White Oak in action and why the school’s services are important for the community. Students were then able to ask their visitors general questions about politics and government.
The day concluded with a tour of the entire campus. Michalski added without the support from state legislators like Velis and Pease these uncertain times for funding would be much more challenging.
“I think its really important that everybody be a positive voice at this point for students in special education. The future of [Individuals with Disabilities Education Act] and circuit breaker funding is not guaranteed, and we just need everybody to know the role that special education plays for students like ours especially,” said Michalski. “There not high profile, and we’re not a high-profile school, so it’s really important that people recognize we have so many schools around the state that do such great work.”
