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May 19, 2021Jacob Brooks, a student at Mount Saint Mary Catholic High School, is making school history as the first recipient of the Cornerstone Inclusion Program certificate of achievement. The program, in its fourth year at the Mount, provides an inclusive educational experience for students with intellectual disabilities. Through individualized instruction plans and support from peer “scholars,” each student can maximize their academic, social and spiritual potential.
Currently, four students at the Mount participate in Cornerstone. Each student is assigned a scholar in every core class. The scholar’s function is to provide support in the classroom and help acclimate life on campus. Senior Abbey Whitten served as a scholar this school year.
“We assist them academically during class, we’re a buddy that they know they can trust,” Whitten said. “They see me as a friend, someone who can help them and give them support when they need it.”
For Whitten, the experience of being a scholar has given her a new perspective.
“It has really altered my mindset about how hard the parents and siblings of individuals with disabilities have to work to meet their needs, and what it takes to help them succeed. It takes a village and I feel like I can make a difference.”
Ellyn Hefner, whose son William is a student in the program, explained how the opportunity has given her son a platform that he has never had before.
“William is a very social kid and being integrated has improved his social life so much. He’s a different person now,” she said. “He’s got friends, and he’s comfortable in this space with other students.”
Hefner also praised the leadership team at MSM, specifically Principal Talita DeNegri.
“I’m truly thankful for Talita,” she said. “William has been afforded all of these great things because MSM said ‘yes.’ Because she said ‘yes.’”
William Hefner is able to attend Mount Saint Mary as a recipient of the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship, which is awarded to students who are served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to attend participating private schools. Students served under IDEA who have an active Individualized Education Plan and attended a public school in Oklahoma the previous school year are eligible to apply for the LNH scholarship.
Hefner expressed her gratitude for the opportunity for her son to gain the skills he will need as an adult.
“I want William to have that high school experience, to have friends and learn social skills. Mount Saint Mary is the place for that!”
Principal DeNegri described the impact of the program at the Mount, and how much growth and diversity has resulted from it.
“To see our students interact with our Cornerstone students is magical – it is simply magical,” DeNegri said. “This has definitely helped us grow as a community. Just to see these kids in the halls with each other ... the laughing, the hugging, the celebrating. It truly shows me that God is here among us and that we are doing the right thing.”
Sally Linhart is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
