McGuffey preschool ‘graduates’ two

By Harold Gwin

Members of the special-needs class can also have a profound effect on the parents.

YOUNGSTOWN — Derrick and Julie McDowell said enrolling their young son, DaVinci, in the special-needs preschool program at William Holmes McGuffey Elementary School has proved to be a benefit for the entire family.

“It’s even taught us more compassion for people with special needs,” Derrick said after watching DaVinci “graduate” from the program Thursday.

DaVinci doesn’t have any special needs but is part of the “mainstream” segment of the preschool medically fragile class, the only one of its kind in the city schools.

Derrick and Julie said DaVinci’s older sister, Trinity, was already a student at McGuffey, so there was no hesitation on their part about enrolling their son in the preschool program there. Trinity is completing the second grade this year.

“We thought it would be a great opportunity for him,” Derrick said, adding that it taught his son compassion and how to be more helpful to others.

The program is for children age 3 to 5 and is open to those with special needs as well as children with no special needs in that age group, said Marla Joliff, educational director of pupil-personnel special services.

There are 12 children in the class, but only DaVinci and Elaine Zheng, another “mainstream” student in the program, are graduating. Elaine spoke only Chinese when she first joined the class but now has learned English as well.

Both spent two years in the preschool program and both are moving on to kindergarten, said Cheryl Vanatsky, their teacher. The two honorees were recognizable by the large, white graduation caps they wore into their classroom at McGuffey at the end of the graduation program to receive their diplomas.

The entire class, however, joined their families and guests who turned out for the ceremony, demonstrating some of their daily class routines and taking turns leading the class in nine songs, including some dance routines.

Superintendent Wendy Webb said the graduation offered the public an awareness of the type of programs the city school district has that offer children nurture, love and support.

Vanatsky said she has been teaching special-needs children for 25 years. This is the fourth year for the medically fragile preschool program at McGuffey, she said.

Music plays a key role in educating the children, she said, explaining that it teaches rhyme, sequence, math, reading and more.

She seemed to get as much enjoyment out of the program as did her class as she led them in song and dance.

“I love my job,” she acknowledged. “I couldn’t do it if I didn’t.”

gwin@vindy.com