portraits
» AMARILLO ISD
17
a group of teenage girls huddles in a booth at Braum’s, laughing a
little too loudly, eating ice cream and celebrating the fi rst member
of the group to turn 15. “She gets to be the oldest of all of us and
she just loves that,” laughs eighth grader Gabbie Hoving about the
birthday girl, her classmate Erin. On Saturday, both girls danced the
night away to Taylor Swift’s Shake it Off at a Christmas party for the
Down Syndrome Guild. Gabbie bubbles with enthusiasm when she
looks back on the weekend. “Erin’s a ball of energy. I love hanging
out with her because she’s so fun to be around. We’re best friends.
We just do normal stuff,” she says.
To be sure, Gabbie and Erin truly are typical teenagers doing
teenager things, though Erin lives with Down syndrome. In spite
of their perceived differences, Gabbie says the two girls really aren’t
that different at all. “It’s just like any of us,” she explains. “We all
have a different morning routine, for example. We all do things
differently. And we choose how we see it.”
Gabbie speaks from the heart, and from experience, as part of
Crockett Middle School’s Students Teaching and Encouraging
Peers (STEP) program. STEP is a peer-mediated intervention
and instruction program. The program pairs eighth grade peers
like Gabbie with students like Erin from the school’s Adapted
Curriculum Class (ACC) to build relationships, foster social skills
and bring school and community-wide awareness to disabilities.
“We get to understand how they go through their day and live their
lives. They do incredible stuff,” says Gabbie.
At Crockett, students are lining up to be part of STEP. There’s
an application process which includes an essay, interview and
committee selection. “We usually have about 80 students apply. This
year, we were able to accept 14 into the group,” says Crockett Special
Education Teacher Danielle Compton.
After a few years teaching Special Education at Crockett, Danielle
saw a need in “her kids,” as she refers to the family of ACC students
she nurtures and teaches, to experience more with their peers. “I
knew my kids needed to work on their social skills and needed to be
with their peers more, so I just ran with it,” she says. “The key piece
of STEP is spreading awareness of disabilities and educating people.
I think people want to be inclusive, but sometimes they just don’t
know how.”
Seven years later, STEP teaches students to lead by example. STEP
peers eat lunch with the ACC students, collaborate with them on
community service projects, and, ultimately, develop friendships
that go beyond the doors of their school. During the fall semester,
Danielle’s students and their STEP peers shared a one of a kind
experience when the group camped overnight at Ceta Canyon
Camp & Retreat Center. “Some of my kids have never driven that
far out of town or seen a deer or rabbit or been away from home.
For them to get to experience all of that was amazing,” says Danielle.
“The academic piece of what I do is obviously very important for
my kids—teaching them math skills and teaching them to read. But
the most important thing to me is to provide experiences for them.”
STEP was a fi rst of its kind program for AISD but other schools
have since begun similar programs, each hoping to bring to their
school what STEP has brought to the Crockett community. STEP
isn’t just inspiring change at other schools, it’s on the map with
educators across the state. In October, the program was named Best
Practice of the Year by the Region 16 Education Service Center and
will compete at the state level this spring. A smiling Danielle proudly
accepted the award, though she says the real reward is what STEP
gives to Crockett and the students who pass through its halls each
year. “The word I always go back to is belonging,” says Danielle. “I
think every person wants to feel a sense of belonging. It’s important
that we do that here, educating students and raising awareness of
disabilities.”
If there’s a little ice cream with friends along the way to sweeten
the experience, Gabbie would say that’s kind of the point. “STEP is
my favorite part of the day because I get to see all my friends,” she
says. “Mrs. Compton has given all of her kids such an amazing time
in middle school. She is trying to let people see the real people they
are and not their disability. STEP has taught me to look at situations
differently than what you might think they would be.”
On a Friday afternoon in December,
Crockett Middle School eighth graders Hayden Splawn (left), Erin Medford (center) and Gabbie Hoving (right) at lunch.