Jorge

Alumni Student: 2008-2014

Jorge first came to The Parish School at age 4 after receiving an unspecified pervasive developmental disorder diagnosis. His speech and comprehension were very limited.

From the beginning, his parents recognized that everyone at Parish was so supportive and made Jorge feel at home.

“We are especially grateful to his speech therapists and teachers—Jorge always felt safe with them, and we could sense that they truly loved him,” said parents Jorge and Lore.

With the help of Parish’s teaching staff, Jorge learned to speak fluently. In addition, the Social Learning approach worked wonders for Jorge and his whole family. He enjoyed going to Adventure Play at Camp Acorn, where kids used their imagination to create and explore. He still loves building, especially with Legos. In fact, when Jorge grows up, he says he wants to be an engineer like his dad!

Jorge transitioned to a new school after many great years at The Parish School. He is now 12 and in his third year at a traditional private school, where he is succeeding and excelling. “We will be always grateful he had the opportunity to go to The Parish School!”

Dylan

Alumni Student:  2009-2012

Dylan was diagnosed with an expressive language disorder and oral motor function disorder when he was 2 years old. He saw a speech therapist twice a week without much success, so his parents decided to enroll him in The Parish School.

“We felt like Parish staff knew what we as parents were going through and we finally found the support system we needed,” said Dylan’s mother, Jennifer.

After more than three years at the Parish School, Dylan enrolled in St. Francis Episcopal School, where he has excelled in academics, earned awards in drama, joined the choir and is active in cub scouts.

Where Dylan has truly found his passion is in gymnastics. While at Parish, he was identified as needing additional occupational therapy supports. Jennifer decided to enroll him in gymnastics to build his self-esteem and core muscles. Since then, he joined a competitive team, working his way through skill levels and competing in trampoline and tumbling. This past summer, Dylan was crowned National Champion on the trampoline for boys ages 9/10 at the USAG Stars & Stripes Junior Olympics in Tulsa, OK.

“The Parish School was a safe and loving environment for Dylan,” said Jennifer. “I know that Dylan would not be where he is today if it were not for The Parish School.”

Sidhu

Alumni Student: 2006-2009

Sidhu was diagnosed with a rare seizure disorder at 10 months old. As he grew older, he dealt not only with life threatening seizures; he also developed severe speech delays. Private therapy wasn’t enough. At the age of three, Sidhu started his journey at The Parish School in its award-winning preschool program. After one month, his parents saw a tremendous change in Sidhu’s ability to communicate.

His parents credit the teachers for giving him the personalized instruction he required to help change his speech and motor skills all while building his confidence, not always an easy task. His discovered a love for art, drama and music while at The Parish School as well. After three years of intense support and guidance, Sidhu was ready to join a mainstream school system.

Now, seven years later, he is in sixth grade at Beckendorff Junior High in Katy, Texas. He is a straight “A” student, two-time runner up in the spelling bee competition, member of the Katy ISD gifted and talented program and recipient of the President of United States education award for academic excellence. Sidhu holds a third degree Taekwondo black belt, participates in the school choir and plays trumpet in the school band.

Jocelyn

Alumni Student: 2011-2017

When Jocelyn was born, she met all of her initial milestones. However, by age 3, signs of a delay began to appear.

“We began to notice that Jocelyn was not speaking and, when she did, no one could understand her,” said mother Joelle.

After a rough year at a traditional preschool, The Parish School was recommended. Fast forward six years later, and Jocelyn is a self-confident, happy, expressive child, who loves The Parish School, where she can “perform, act, sing, dance, learn (math is my favorite) and make friends.”

“Thank you, Parish School, for finding the keys that unlocked Jocelyn’s untold song and unlimited scale,” said Joelle.

Harrison

Alumni Student: 2006-2009

At 18 months, Hudson was not speaking at all, not even saying mom or dad. While his parents, Laurie and Alfredo, were told to “give him time” and “boys are often delayed,” Laurie knew she needed to act early and persisted with having Hudson evaluated. After a series of tests, the family was referred to a speech therapist.

A friend recommended The Parish School, and the couple enrolled Hudson soon after his second birthday. He loved going to school each day, especially music and art. Eventually, Hudson was talking up a storm.

“Most importantly, the school took my husband and me under its wings,” said Laurie. “We were scared and felt helpless. We attended parent education classes, met with his teachers and his speech therapist. We were given the tools we needed to be one of the many advocates in Hudson’s life.”

After 3 years at The Parish School, Hudson transitioned to a traditional school setting, while continuing to attend speech therapy, occupational therapy and Social Learning groups at The Parish School and The Carruth Center.

Hudson has since gone on to prove he has a talent for being on-stage. He is actively involved in musicals, ballet and even participated in his school’s ComedySportz® Improv. He attends Houston Christian High School, where he joined theater, dance and Model UN. He has also taken Spanish throughout school and will begin AP Spanish this fall. Laurie says, “his accent is excellent!”

The Gutierrez family has continued to remain highly involved with The Parish School. Laurie is an active member of the Parish board of trustees, and the family hosted former Head of School, Nancy Bewley’s retirement party in their home last year. Additionally, Hudson has spent his past five summers volunteering in classes at The Parish School’s summer program – Camp Acorn.

“I really like working with the kids at camp,” said Hudson. “It feels nice to provide the help here because I went through the same thing when I was a kid.”

“The Parish School and The Carruth Center have had an instrumental impact on the success that Hudson is experiencing,” adds Laurie. “We are indebted to the school for giving Hudson and us the skills needed to enable Hudson to be successful in life.”

Gracen

Alumni Student:  2003-2005

Gracen Fisk attended The Parish School’s early childhood program for two years before transitioning to a traditional school setting in 2005. Early on, it was evident that Gracen had a talent for being on stage and thrived when it came to participating in The Parish School’s drama and music classes. She later went on to graduate from Houston Christian High School, where she became active in the theater arts program.

Under the direction of Parish’s Director of Integrated Arts & Sciences, Terri Garth, Gracen and Brandon Newell (Parish student 2005–2009) returned to Parish to perform in the 2018 Upper & Lower Elementary Musical, which celebrated the school’s 35th birthday and the past 25 years of annual musicals. The duo practiced with Parish students for weeks during the spring semester to later make their debut to a packed house of friends and families. Their performance of “Together Wherever We Go” brought a roaring applause. According to Gracen’s mom, Jill, this time spent in The Parish School’s musical was a valuable experience.

Gracen now attends Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, majoring in theater with an emphasis in acting and directing. She is excelling in school, has made the Dean’s list, and has many friends. Crediting Parish for instilling a love of the arts in her, Gracen decided to return once more to teach the drama class for The Parish School’s 2019 summer program, Camp Acorn.

Fast forward to today, and Gracen recently announced that she’s accepted a role as a cast member in Disney’s College Program. We’re so excited to see what more is to come from her!

David

Alumni Student: 2010-2016

When he first arrived at The Parish School nearing his 6th birthday, David had a hard time forming sentences of more than three words. With a seemingly endless list of learning and social differences, parents Jennifer and Chris were afraid David would forever have a hard time fitting in amongst the “normal” crowd.

In the six years that David spent at Parish, he gained the communication, social and academic skills needed to succeed in school. After aging out of Parish’s program, David has gone on to attend a public middle school. The transition was tough at first due to an increased workload and responsibilities, but his parents are happy to report that after a few weeks of settling into
a routine, David managed to exceed their expectations in his new environment. In fact, shortly after arriving at his new school, their special education liaison recommended to remove David’s in-class support, deeming it unnecessary – he didn’t require any additional help to keep up in his classes. David is now making all A’s and excelling in a public middle school.

Where he truly blossomed, though, was in Adventure Play, the afterschool program at The Parish School where children create their own playground using nothing but their imagination and scrap materials. It was at AP that David found a place he truly loved and was able to make lasting friendships.

For his 12th birthday, Jennifer and Chris offered to take David to dinner, bowling, a movie…wherever he felt like going to celebrate. David respectfully listened to their suggestions but had already made up his mind – he wanted to go back to Adventure Play. Jill Wood, Director of Adventure Play, was delighted to accommodate David’s request.

“He couldn’t stop smiling on the ride home, beaming over how he got to lead the younger students on a walk through the tall grass before making himself at home again on the various structures that he’d seen assembled over the years,” said Chris. “Most of all though, he was happy to be reunited with Jill. ‘I just love her,’ he told us.”

David continues to attend Parish functions when he can, including this year’s Adventure Play 10-year anniversary celebration, Flight’s going away party and the annual Spring Fling. Additionally, he is volunteering as a Junior Playworker with the Adventure Play summer camp, where he helps other kids to expand the space he’s grown to appreciate so much.

Dan

Alumni Student: 1990-1996

Nearing his 3rd birthday, Dan arrived at The Parish School with the same attitude he carried into any new experience – optimism and a big smile. Dan had some physical and learning disabilities from complications he sustained when he was born three months premature, and later contracting Group B strep meningitis while still an infant. As fate would have it, Dan’s grandmother was one of Parish School founder, Robbin Parish’s earliest supports, and knew exactly where to find the best help for Dan.

Recalling his time at The Parish School, Dan remembers that he especially enjoyed writing in his “Good News Book.” Many of his entries were tied to his love of sports. He decided at an early age that he wanted to be a sports announcer. The Parish School set him on the road to developing his writing and speaking skills with confidence. Additionally, he became avid reader. These were the building blocks he needed to reach his future goals.

After graduating from boarding high school and passing the New York State Regents Exam, Dan was determined to go to college. He first attended St. Edwards University in Austin. When his girlfriend mentioned how strong the radio and journalism departments were at nearby Texas State University, Dan decided to transfer. In 2014, Dan graduated with a degree in Mass  Communications and later married his beautiful girlfriend, Amber.

Today, Amber and Dan live in Houston where Dan works at his family’s commercial real estate company. He is also a contributor for FanSided, a growing sports website, where he writes  articles about what’s going on in the world of Houston sports. Continuing his dream, Dan is currently working to launch his own sports website.

The Parish School was the right place at the right time for Dan. He has always been appreciative of the many people who helped him along the way. When visiting the “new” campus recently, he and his family were amazed at the growth of the school.

Cameron D.

Alumni Student: 1998-2003

Cameron first came to The Parish School at age 2 after receiving a diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) — one of the four autism spectrum disorders. He could only utter a handful of words, most of which were hard for others to comprehend. The neurologists who diagnosed Cameron recommended several schools that could help him with his language deficiencies, one of which was The Parish School.

“We looked at all the recommended schools and were immediately drawn to Parish,” said Wendy, Cameron’s stepmom. “We could see it was such a loving environment and was focused on innovative methods for helping children overcome their language and learning differences.”

Through The Parish School’s education, training and care, Cameron gained fluency of speech and discovered his super power — his memory. Not only did The Parish School allow Cameron to gain communication skills, but it also provided him an invaluable sense of self-esteem and confidence, which continue to serve him well. Thanks to early intensive language and learning intervention, Cameron was able to transfer to a mainstream private elementary school in second grade.

Cameron, now 22, is a proud senior at Texas Tech University studying communications, who drives and holds part-time jobs.

Cameron

Alumni Student: 2006-2008

From an early age, Cameron struggled to communicate, leaving his family and himself with feelings of frustration. During an evaluation, a specialist recommended The Parish School. From the moment they stepped foot on campus, Cameron’s family knew it was a special place.

“Thanks to the generosity of many, our family received financial assistance to attend,” said Rosie, Cameron’s mother. “Otherwise, we never could have afforded the life-changing education and therapies that The Parish School offers. The school not only helped Cameron, but changed our entire family.”

To this day, Cameron maintains that Parish is his favorite school because of the encouragement, understanding and care that was provided to him by everyone – from the teachers to the staff. Parish also awakened his love of the arts and outdoors that continues to this day.

Today, Cameron is a junior in Katy ISD. He pursues his passion for music by playing tuba in the marching band and learning the trombone for the jazz band. He recently went hiking and survived in his own tent in the Cascade Mountains near Seattle. Cameron also recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, completing a service project to make toiletry and school supply bags for homeless teenagers. He also has a passion for filmmaking and was accepted into the film program at the Miller Career Center in Katy ISD. Cameron plans to pursue a career in the film industry in the future.

“The Parish School has planted seeds with Cameron that changed the course of his life…and for this, our entire family is eternally grateful.”

Adam

Alumni Student: 2015-2019

As a young child, Adam had great difficulty communicating and interacting with others. With the help of teachers and classmates at The Parish School, he was able to significantly improve his communication skills and sociability.

Since transitioning from Parish, Adam has come a long way. He earned a degree in economics and political science from the University of Chicago, and dual graduate degrees in law and public affairs from the University of Texas-Austin. Currently, Adam works as a law clerk for a federal judge in El Paso and looks forward to what the future holds.

“It was a joy to visit The Parish School’s new campus several years ago and observe what a difference the school continues to make in children’s lives, as well as see quite a few of my teachers – like Nancy Mosley and Terri Garth,” said Adam. “They are still doing a wonderful job helping kids! I am convinced that The Parish School helps create bright futures.”

Brady

Alumni Student: 2015-2019

Brady’s young life has been filled with obstacles. With multiple medical diagnoses under his belt and enough hours of therapy to deserve a certification, a very bumpy and seemingly hopeless path led his family to The Parish School.

“It wasn’t easy finding a school that could provide Brady with the specialized education and instruction that he needs,” said mother, Rachel. “As a student at The Parish School, Brady received individualized classroom education as well as various therapies onsite.“

When Brady began attending The Parish School at 8 years old, he had few reading or writing skills. Since his first school year at Parish, Brady has achieved tremendous academic and social growth. He has found a love for drama and music through the classes offered at The Parish School. Brady has gained so much confidence and has made some wonderful friends.

“We feel so fortunate to have had our son in a school that appreciated his differences and highlighted his strengths. Our lives have been forever changed because of The Parish School!”

Gracen

Alumni Student: 1991-1995

Gracen Fisk attended The Parish School’s early childhood program for two years before transitioning to a traditional school setting in 2005. Early on, it was evident that Gracen had a talent for being on stage and thrived when it came to participating in The Parish School’s drama and music classes. She later went on to graduate from Houston Christian High School, where she became active in the theater arts program.

Under the direction of Parish’s Director of Integrated Arts & Sciences, Terri Garth, Gracen and Brandon Newell (Parish student 2005–2009) returned to Parish to perform in the 2018 Upper & Lower Elementary Musical, which celebrated the school’s 35th birthday and the past 25 years of annual musicals. The duo practiced with Parish students for weeks during the spring semester to later make their debut to a packed house of friends and families. Their performance of “Together Wherever We Go” brought a roaring applause. According to Gracen’s mom, Jill, this time spent in The Parish School’s musical was a valuable experience.

Gracen now attends Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, majoring in theater with an emphasis in acting and directing. She is excelling in school, has made the Dean’s list, and has many friends. Crediting Parish for instilling a love of the arts in her, Gracen decided to return once more to teach the drama class for The Parish School’s 2019 summer program, Camp Acorn.

Fast forward to today, and Gracen recently announced that she’s accepted a role as a cast member in Disney’s College Program. We’re so excited to see what more is to come from her!

Blog

Flexibility in a Time of Uncertainty

July 5, 2022

If you’ve been on social media at all in 2020, you’ve likely come across a meme or two (or 100!) of just how unreal this year has been. One of my favorites is this one relating the year 2020 to a game of Jumanji.

Can someone please put away the game of Jumanji???

jumanji meme

Source: makeameme.org

I also love this bingo card meme! Did anyone have two hurricanes on their 2020 bingo card?

bingo meme

Source: 33andrain.com

We can all get a good laugh from these memes. Some would say you either laugh or you cry. I choose the laugh option. But in reality, what I’m really choosing is a chance to demonstrate resiliency and flexibility to those around me – especially my two kids at home and the students I see in the clinic and on campus.

July and August presented our next challenge: Do we send our kids to school for in-person learning or do we opt for virtual learning? Was that square on your bingo card last May? It wasn’t on mine!

When we are forced to make choices between two options neither of which we favor, we are forced to practice being flexible so we can adapt to the situation. We can’t force schools to reimagine learning that fits every single family’s expectations. So, what do we do? We adapt. We choose. We demonstrate our flexibility in situations that are beyond our control.

Whether you have decided on virtual learning for your family or to send your child back for face-to-face instruction, you have likely acknowledged that it’s very likely your child will experience disruptions to their school experience this year – maybe even several times during the school year. This is the perfect opportunity to increase your child’s Social Learning (as well as our own as adults!).

Teaching flexibility is a core concept in our Social Learning groups at The Carruth Center, as well as in the classrooms at The Parish School. When I’m teaching flexibility to our youngest learners, I’m as in-decisive as Texas weather. I’ll start by telling the kids that we’re going to play with blocks. The kids get excited and start brainstorming ideas. Then suddenly, I decide we’re going to play with Play-Doh. But gosh, the Play-Doh is too hard! So now, I want to go outside. When the kids catch on that I’ve lost my way and maybe gone a little nuts, they either laugh at my antics or they get frustrated with my inconsistent plans. And then, they’re introduced to my favorite word – the name of the 2020 game – Flexibility.

Just as the children in my groups vary in their responses to my antics, the same will happen to you with your child(ren). Some kids fall into the “it is what it is, go with the flow” response, while others will experience a harder time with the disruption. Those who struggle to adapt may need a little extra support to help process the rapid changes coming at them. Just like the TX-DOT signs tell us to “be prepared” for hurricane season, I have some suggestions on how to “be prepared” for any inconsistency and unpredictability in this school year:

Memory Moments

Great news! You’ve already experienced an abrupt change last spring! Flexibility is often taught while reflecting on “remember when” moments. Talk to your child now about the sudden switch to online school in March, before another unexpected disruption occurs. Discuss all the ways your family adapted to the change. Use the vocabulary “flexible” as often as you can.

For example, “Wow! Remember when the whole family had to work and do school from home? That was NOT our plan! But you know what? We were flexible and made it work! Remember how dad had to take his calls outside because the dogs were barking? That felt frustrating to dad, but he was flexible and made a new plan to make it work!”

Create a Space

More good news! Because you know it is a real possibility your child will have to switch to remote learning with little or no notice, it would be super beneficial to have your child’s learning space set up BEFORE the actual switch occurs. Helping to create a learning space with you gives your child a sense of ownership and preparedness. This space is the visual reminder to your child that change may come, but we are prepared – no need to panic! This will help prepare your child to remember and accept that remote learning is an extension of the classroom. In fact, it IS the satellite classroom!

A fun idea is also to name your space – make it a play on your child’s current class. Amy’s Bumblebee class at school, can be “The Hive” while at home. Mrs. Smith’s class at school can be “Smith’s Home Station” at home.

Equip with Emotional Vocabulary

2020 has been a roller coaster year, so it should be easy to use scenarios from this year to teach new emotional vocabulary to your children. Try out words such as: disappointing, uncomfortable and frustrated, as well as confident, comfortable and patience. Don’t forget that we can equally focus on positive emotions. When kids can identify the way they feel about something, they have a starting point to problem-solve, adapt and overcome. You can expect that your child may feel disappointed if their classroom is moved to remote learning. Acknowledge the disappointment – they have a right to feel how the feel. Relate the feeling to previous experience and empower your child with how they overcame another similar situation. For more great ideas on talking about emotions at your child’s language level, attend The Parish School’s UnLuncheon!

Set Realistic Expectations

Understand that change brings about all sorts of feelings for adults and children. Demonstrate patience and flexibility to your child while you’re navigating “the new normal.” If your child is struggling to sit in front of a screen through the duration of the day, make time for brain, wiggle or ice-cream breaks! Encourage growth and improvement each day, but don’t expect the switch to be seamless on Day 1 or Day 5. Relish little victories when working towards big goals!

Code Switching

We’ve focused on the switch from school to home, but we can’t forget the switch from home back to school. The social expectations for each learning environment are different and require code switching when moving to a new environment. This can be very difficult on any child! Wearing shoes at home during remote learning is optional. Wearing shoes to school is required. Take the time to discuss what is expected during home learning and what is expected at school learning.

Have some fun coming up with lists of expected behaviors for home learning and in-person learning:

  • When to brush your teeth at home? Eh, it may not happen until lunch time. Brushing your teeth before school? A must!
  • Packing a lunch for school is expected. Packing a lunch for home isn’t.

Understanding how to switch codes between the two contexts can lessen those morning disagreements and prepare your child for what’s to come.

Establish Routines

Although flexibility during a pandemic is an essential skill to develop, it’s also important to establish routines – especially for our learners who may feel uneasy with the unknown. Bedtimes and wake up times should remain the same whether you’re in-person or have switched to remote. Start time of the school day and end time of the school should resemble the in-person day as much as possible, even if that means your ice cream break pushed into math (gasp!).

Academics ARE important. But being flexible within a routine will only help your child with the adjustment from learning at school to learning at home.

Remember that creating boundaries and routines and considering the emotional well-being of your child outweighs the paper/pencil learning during a pandemic. You should give yourself permission to evaluate the needs of your child in the moment. And if you need someone else to give you that permission, if you’ve read this far, then I hereby grant you permission to survive and THRIVE by reading the needs of your child and adapting as needed (just like we’re asking our kids to do!).

The dice on the Jumanji board keeps getting rolled and the bingo caller keeps calling squares no one has. So as parents, give yourself grace and work toward modeling the power of flexibility when the only thing that is absolutely certain is uncertainty. Be prepared for the changes that may come and partner with your child, your teacher, and your therapist to develop the best plan for your child. You can do this!

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