1 9 t h I C E A W A R D S : I N N O VA T I O N S I N C A T H O L I C E D U C A T I O N

Award Category: An innovative project in total community involvement

Location: Lyndhurst, Ohio

Diocese: Cleveland

Principal: Jodi Johnston

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T his past summer Julie Billiart School in Lyndhurst, OH, launched Beyond Camp, a four-week summer camp providing social skills training and combating

summer learning loss for students with special learning needs. Summer learning loss is a signifi cant problem for students with learning disabilities who rely on school to teach social skills alongside academics. The goals for Beyond Camp were to develop social skills that are most challenging for this population; generalize those skills to various parts of the community to help with career readiness; provide creative expression through exercise, cooking, art, acting, and more; provide academic boost to combat learning loss; and deepen students’ Catholic identity. In its inaugu-ral year the camp served 30 students with learning diff erences.

A signifi cant element of the camp was community experiences. Many children with autism have few com-munity experiences due to having meltdowns, diffi culty with overwhelming sensory input, diffi culty understand-ing what is expected of them, or being unable to interpret

social cues. Beyond Camp addressed each of these issues through direct teaching, social stories, visual cues, pre-taught methods for expressing frustration or commu-nication, and guided exposure to the community during fi eld trips.

The camp fi eld trips provided children with “typi-cal” social activities they do not otherwise have access to

because of their social diffi culties. The fi eld trips provided exciting and engaging adventures that contributed to the students’ confi dence and self-perception. Successful fi eld trips included trips to the community pool, a trampoline park, the zoo, hiking at a land reserve, a baseball game, interacting with animals at a farm, and a water park. This was a meaningful growth experience for our campers and it was also a unique opportunity for the community to grow in exposure and acceptance of a new population of individuals with social defi cits.

Many children with autism have few community experiences due to having meltdowns, diffi culty with overwhelming sensory input, diffi culty understand-ing what is expected of them, and similar factors.

Students: 123

Grades: K-8

Website: juliebilliartschool.org

Julie Billiart School

Beyond Camp

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