Letters: praise for ‘Girls on the Run’ program

[EDITOR’S NOTE] The following letter was originally sent to the Unionville-Chadds Ford Board of Education and presented by its authors for publication here.

Dear School Board Directors:

There are some great things happening in our school district! One example is the “Girls on the Run” program at Hillendale Elementary School. Nine exceptional girls, one of whom is the daughter of a district employee, participated in a fundraising run to benefit the autism support classroom at Hillendale. They raised $900 which was used to purchase an iPad for the classroom. As you may be aware, the iPad has excellent applications to help children with Autism communicate and learn.

As parents of a child in the autism support classroom, we were awed and humbled at the remarkable showing of compassion, organization and determination displayed by these young women. They should be recognized and commended for their efforts as they are a positive reflection on their families and the district.

The autism support classroom is a model for excellence in special education. Our district administrators, teachers, Superintendent and School Board should be proud of this accomplishment. Principal Steve Dissinger worked for inclusiveness of these special students into the overall student body at Hillendale and the good work of “Girls on the Run” illustrates the success of his efforts. The students who participated are: Winden Rowe, Jennifer Bucci, Jennie Lane, Mackenna Bond, Alexa Walter, Hannah Kovic, Lindsay Bond, Grace Buckley, Julia Walter, Jennie Marmo, Makayla Bucci, Abby Fitzsimons, Amelie Assmus-Schubert, Katie Cooley, Natalie Fournier and Brie Wilkey

Thank you for your ongoing support and efforts at making UCFSD a great place for all students to learn and grow.

Yours Truly,

Craig and Sonya Huffman