marianist.com/donate • 7 John Gutendorf, a Cuvilly interven- tion specialist who adapts and modi- fies assignments to help students learn, agrees with Cecilia. “These students have taught me a lot about humility and self-awareness,” says Gutendorf. “We all have things that we need to work on, but these kids may be more open to coaching and improving. I also appreciate their fierce determination to succeed. It makes me want to do my best to level the playing field for them.” Fierce determination The Cuvilly students’ disabilities run the gamut, but they fall mostly into three categories. Some are cognitively delayed, including children with Down syndrome or those with low IQs. Others have specific learning disabilities, such as reading or speech disorders. And many have autism spectrum disorder, which includes Asperger’s syndrome and a range of autistic impairments. In addition, Cuvilly students may have behavioral issues, such as attention-deficit disorder, or health or physical handicaps that impact learning. The school, however, accepts only students with mild physical disabilities because of the building layout and cannot accept students who need a full-time aide due to staffing resources. The depth of the Cuvilly program — the ability to custom-design an academic curriculum to meet each student’s needs — and its breadth — the ability to handle kids with a broad range of disabilities — are what make it special. “We serve kids with IQs of 40, 70, 100, even 130. We adjust to make that happen,” says Judi. But all of that adjusting takes a strong staff. The Cuvilly team, in addition to Judi and John Gutendorf, includes Gretchen Wolfe, another intervention specialist, and Cory Harden, who also serves as assistant football coach. A can-do lens Judi remembers the day when one of the Cuvilly students told her he wanted to take advanced placement chemistry. “’But you have a math disability,’ I said. ‘How in the world are you going to do that?’ He then proceeded to ace the course,” she says. Some kids are limited by their disabilities. Others defy the norms. One of the most common mistakes educators make when working with special-needs kids is to assume they can’t do something because of their disabilities. “They often prove me wrong,” says Judi, “which means we need to see each student through a can-do lens.” Being open to each student’s ability is a requirement of all good teachers. But Cuvilly educators “do a lot of adapting and trouble- shooting on the fly,” says Gutendorf. “It often takes creativity and teamwork to figure out how to help these kids.” It also takes energy. “One of my co-teachers and I were being observed one day in the classroom, and afterward, we were told, ‘you guys never stopped moving,’” says Gutendorf. “It takes stamina to do this work, but if you have the passion for it, it’s a lot of fun.” Cuvilly doesn’t provide just academic sup- port. It helps students learn basic social skills. “We want them to know how to work in a group, how to relate to another person, how to handle social situations,” says Judi. Adds John Marshall, “Seventy percent of our work with kids is to equip them with social and emotional skills; 30 percent is academic.” Leaning in Written on a white board in Erin Ketch’s classroom is a quote from Henry James: “Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is to be kind.” It’s a good reminder. “Teaching takes a lot of patience,” says Erin, an English teacher whose students’ abilities range from kindergarten- to 12th-grade level. “It’s hard to have one classroom in which kids are spanning 13 grades and use one textbook,” she says, describing the various materials she uses to adapt her lesson plans. Still, it’s worth the effort, says Erin, whose sister has a learning disability. “She attended a Catholic school in Wisconsin, but my parents did most of the heavy lifting. It was very taxing and diffi- cult for them. I am so happy that CJ has the Cuvilly program where kids and their parents get the support they need.” So is Pam Glover, a parent of a Cuvilly senior named Jayla, who says that the biggest challenge for most parents of special-needs kids is trusting that when their kids are at school they won’t be bullied or shunned. “I don’t see this at CJ,” says Pam. “The staff goes the extra mile to help our students feel safe.” As principal, Marshall has witnessed this many times firsthand. “The school is a big space of safety and learning,” he says. He can think of several instances, but one stands out. “I remember a swim meet when our CJ students stopped to watch a student with Down syndrome complete his laps. When he finished and they helped him out of the pool, the whole place exploded in cheers to acknowledge his accomplishment.” He adds, “Cuvilly students sense a comfortable, safe place sooner than I would. They lean in a lot sooner than I would. Their trust in us makes us try harder, be better. By educating them, they change us. There’s great joy in that.” ■ John Gutendorf, a Cuvilly intervention specialist, adapts assignments to help students learn.