Ambassador Award Nomination

by Tricia Baker

Collier High School is the place where my son bloomed for almost a year before we lost him. I have often thought had Kenny gone to Collier sooner, he might still be with us today. But his experience there, as well as ours, was such that we see this private school for students with disabilities as a beacon for what is possible in fighting stigma and so must be shared.

The spirit of welcome and acceptance is immediately apparent as soon as one walks into Collier. No, there isn't a greeter at the door but rather a sense you get seeing the students and staff just going about their business. People are happy and industrious at the same time. As you watch the teens streaming through the halls, you would never dream that each one is classified as needing full-time special education. You do find yourself having to ask, "Are you sure this is a school for emotionally disturbed adolescents?"

Many elements make Collier work for students and I cannot pretend to know them all, and there's not space to do justice to the ones I do. So I will pikc the one closest to our cause, stigma.

Every student at Collier has been marked by stigma. But at Collier that mark disappears, or rather gets transformed into something wonderful: strength of character. This alchemy happens not by chance but by design. When treated with great regard, when your quirks are found endearing and not irritating, when instead of jeers your peers give you cheers, something happens in your soul. You begin to believe in yourself. When you are called upon to reach out to others, to join clubs, take a part in the play, do community service all with your head held high, it changes you. That mark on your head, that thing that weighed you down, that you wanted to shake off or erase? It has become your badge of courage. It is now a power within you to exceed all expectation, defy all limits.

Collier also creates a caring support system for parents. Parent programs help to educate about the challenges faced by their student, and with education comes the elimination of stigma. These programs help parents realize that their child is not broken, but rather a unique individual with special gifts to offer.

This is the Collier experience. A place that honors the promise in every student who has the good fortune to find its doors. For these reasons, I believe Collier High School deserves the Ambassador Award.