By DENISE DICK

By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- Paulette Vournous, 15, greets the end of each vacation with anticipation to return to school.
"She can't wait to go to school," said her mother, Andrea.
Paulette, of Howland, is one of five pupils in the Trumbull County Educational Service Center's medically fragile classroom at Fairhaven. The classroom, in its third year, is for children with multiple handicaps who also cope with health problems such as seizures that necessitate immediate medical attention. Most also have cognitive difficulties.
"They teach the whole child," Vournous said.
Born with cerebral palsy, Paulette also endures periodic seizures.
Other schools
Before coming to the Fairhaven classroom, Paulette attended Howland Glen Middle School and then W.S. Guy Middle School in Liberty. That required her to catch a bus before 7 a.m., making for hectic mornings.
Kathleen Vilsack, TCESC's multi-disabled department supervisor, approached Vournous three years ago about the medically fragile classroom to see if she'd be interested in enrolling Paulette.
"Kathy told us this was an option for us, and I'm just glad we did it," Vournous said. "Paulette is so happy there."
Fairhaven staffs a nurse who works each school day, allowing those children who need it to receive medical attention. Although all school districts employ a nurse, having the nurse in the same building as the medically fragile classroom ensures quicker attention.
"Medical assistance is available right within the building," Vilsack said.
That also gives Vournous peace of mind.
Choosing pupils
Each of the five pupils in the classroom is classified as multiple-handicapped and previously were enrolled in their home school districts. Through consultation among Vilsack, parents, teachers and other TCESC staff, the pupils, whose ages range from 10 to 15, were identified as children who because of a medical condition could benefit from the classroom.
Teacher Linda Conway, with help from aides Amy Gadd and Debbie Miller, work with the children throughout the school day. Picture cards identify different tasks and areas of the classroom where they learn.
Picture cards also allow the pupils, many of whom are nonverbal, to indicate when they need to use the restroom, are hungry or don't feel well.
Conway said each day has a basic structure, but it may be adapted if needed.
Communication device
TCESC officials wrote a grant to buy a Dynavox, which allows pupils who can't speak to communicate. The device, which is a little larger than a laptop computer, displays pictures that when pressed announce the item shown.
Paulette, who has taken the Dynavox home over school breaks so that her mother can work with it too, can explain what she did that day at school, where she wants to eat dinner or the activity she wants to try.
The machine's programs allow it to be customized.
One enables Paulette to tell her mother what she liked best about her school day, Conway said.
Vournous is still learning how to program the Dynavox but gives high marks to the classroom, program and teachers.
"I'm just very happy with the environment there," she said. "All of the children are just very well taken care of."
denise_dick@vindy.com