For artists, athletes: Common interests spark special connections

This week our students explored common interests and formed new relationships with children and adults with special needs from the Broadmoor School in Mentor and the Beachwood Adult Activities Center of the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

Thanks to the efforts of Ms. Brenna Randel '00, an instructor at the Beachwood Center, and Art Department Chairperson Mrs. Mary Ann Sedivy, four adults with special needs and three staff members came to our campus for the first time on Thursday morning to work with our Ceramics II students.

"We have been looking for ways to get the people we serve out of the center and more integrated with the community," explained Ms. Randel, who was one of Mrs. Sedivy's art students when she attended NDCL. "I immediately thought of NDCL as a possible opportunity for my students."

Thursday's visit gave our students and guests the opportunity to work in small groups on ceramic projects—an art medium not available at the Beachwood Center. They worked side-by-side—and heart-to-heart—to shape creations out of clay.

Seniors Rebecca Mancini and Chris Evans teamed up with Carolynn from the Beachwood Center.

"Carolynn is the most gentle human being I have ever met," Rebecca said. "I would give her options about what to do with her clay, and she was up for anything. I can't wait to work with her again because her art is full of love and so is her heart."

Antonio, another adult from the Beachwood Center, worked with seniors Jacqueline DiMattio and Michael Crookshanks.

"Working with Antonio was such a great experience. His happiness and simple joys put a smile on my face and made me realize that the simple things in life are what can make us the happiest," Jacqueline reflected.

At another table across the ceramics studio, it was an all-male "art fraternity" as seniors Mitch Pannitto, Matt Mitchell, and Scott Pschirer welcomed Pasquale to their group. Pasquale is not a native English speaker, but that didn't stop him and the boys from forging a connection as they created a clay mask.

"It was amazing to see how Pasquale could understand enough of what we were saying to make his own style of art while following the basics of our project idea," Scott said. "He was very creative and a fast learner," added Mitch.

"Pasquale created a great mask," Matt agreed. "We were happy to guide him along the way."

Matt and his classmates will reunite with the adults from the Beachwood Center in a few weeks when they come back to campus to add color and other finishing touches to their ceramic pieces.

Last week our boys basketball team had a similar sort of reunion when they returned to Broadmoor School for a friendly game of basketball with the Broadmoor Bobcats. It was the Lions' second visit to Broadmoor, which offers a wide range of services for children and young adults with developmental disabilities.

While the differences in skill—and height!—between the Bobcats and Lions were obvious to everyone, the less obvious connections were more compelling.

"The kids at Broadmoor are very competitive and love the game just as much as we do," explained junior Tyler Sabath. "Hanging out with them after the game was just so much fun. We didn't want to leave."