Something special
SAS program benefits members & special needs students
Carol Brimm
Students Assisting Students (SAS) is a program established at Mustang High School to offer juniors and seniors the opportunity to help special education teachers and special needs students throughout the school year. Each SAS student gives one hour per day and a full day on field trips to help in the special education programs in Mustang schools.
Joy Miller, MHS Special Education teacher and Linda Hickman, Transition Specialist at Mustang Mid High are joint coordinators of the project. Miller said this is the second year for the program and each year more students are becoming involved. This year the program has 12 students, eight at the Mid High, three at South Middle School, and one at Mustang High School. Next year, Miller says the program will have 22 members.
Miller says SAS members work one on one with special needs students helping them with cognitive and motor skills and help get snacks prepared so teachers can focus on the students.
“The SAS members help the students with numbers and shapes, they read aloud to them,” said Miller. “It’s very hands on.”
The program is also a “mentor thing” said Miller. Special needs students get only small amounts of peer interaction and they just light up when a SAS peer comes in the room.
“We need more guys in the program,” said Miller. “It’s harder to get guys to sign up and there are just not enough in the SAS program.”
SAS students also write research papers and this year’s participants will write a paper reflecting on their experience with the Special Olympics, according to Miller. Shayla Cain, a SAS member, says some students are hesitant to join the program because of the research paper requirement, but the papers do not take that much time and the experience is worth it.
Cain says her experience in the SAS program has given her a glimpse of the special education program and helped her choose between becoming a crisis counselor or a special education teacher.
“I loved every kid I worked with within the first couple of days,” said Cain. “The best thing about SAS is that it makes you more open minded. You realize it’s not all about you and just how blessed you are.”
Cain says participating in SAS has given her a glimpse of the special education program and helped her choose between becoming a crisis counselor or a special education teacher. A recipient of the President’s Leadership and Community Leadership scholarships, Cain plans to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant and pursue a degree in special education.
2005-2006 Mustang SAS members are: Whitney Partin, Shayla Cain, Kimmy McKinnon, Cody Little, Melissa Smith, Summer Bohnert, Kendan Cobb, Mallory Johnson, Joel Baehler, Kendra Nummy, Jessica Rogers, and Jared Homer.
SAS program benefits members & special needs students
Carol Brimm
Students Assisting Students (SAS) is a program established at Mustang High School to offer juniors and seniors the opportunity to help special education teachers and special needs students throughout the school year. Each SAS student gives one hour per day and a full day on field trips to help in the special education programs in Mustang schools.
Joy Miller, MHS Special Education teacher and Linda Hickman, Transition Specialist at Mustang Mid High are joint coordinators of the project. Miller said this is the second year for the program and each year more students are becoming involved. This year the program has 12 students, eight at the Mid High, three at South Middle School, and one at Mustang High School. Next year, Miller says the program will have 22 members.
Miller says SAS members work one on one with special needs students helping them with cognitive and motor skills and help get snacks prepared so teachers can focus on the students.
“The SAS members help the students with numbers and shapes, they read aloud to them,” said Miller. “It’s very hands on.”
The program is also a “mentor thing” said Miller. Special needs students get only small amounts of peer interaction and they just light up when a SAS peer comes in the room.
“We need more guys in the program,” said Miller. “It’s harder to get guys to sign up and there are just not enough in the SAS program.”
SAS students also write research papers and this year’s participants will write a paper reflecting on their experience with the Special Olympics, according to Miller. Shayla Cain, a SAS member, says some students are hesitant to join the program because of the research paper requirement, but the papers do not take that much time and the experience is worth it.
Cain says her experience in the SAS program has given her a glimpse of the special education program and helped her choose between becoming a crisis counselor or a special education teacher.
“I loved every kid I worked with within the first couple of days,” said Cain. “The best thing about SAS is that it makes you more open minded. You realize it’s not all about you and just how blessed you are.”
Cain says participating in SAS has given her a glimpse of the special education program and helped her choose between becoming a crisis counselor or a special education teacher. A recipient of the President’s Leadership and Community Leadership scholarships, Cain plans to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant and pursue a degree in special education.
2005-2006 Mustang SAS members are: Whitney Partin, Shayla Cain, Kimmy McKinnon, Cody Little, Melissa Smith, Summer Bohnert, Kendan Cobb, Mallory Johnson, Joel Baehler, Kendra Nummy, Jessica Rogers, and Jared Homer.
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