Press release from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School
Recently, several students from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School visited the Schroth School in Ocean Township to participate in art therapy activities and take part in the “Empty Bowls” initiative.
Located in Wanamassa, Schroth School serves students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve, and offers a comprehensive educational program including sensory, mobility, fine motor, social, and thematic language/literary experiences.
Although individual students from Schroth School have visited RFH in the past to demonstrate their artistic procedures and skills — such as painting by mouth — this is the first time that RFH students have participated in artistic endeavors at Schroth.
In preparation for the excursion, the RFH students attended a training session hosted by staff members from the Schroth School, which is part of the LADACIN (Lifetime Assistance for Developmental and Challenging Individual Needs) Network. The mission of the non-profit LADACIN Network is to provide education and support services to those with cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities.
During the training session at RFH, Schroth instructors demonstrated the special devices and techniques used by students during art activities at the school and also distributed interaction guidelines.
While at Schroth, the RFH students worked with students of all ages during art activities and also acted as servers during the school’s “Empty Bowls” activity, which is part of a grassroots movement to end hunger internationally. Guests are invited to a simple meal of soup and bread, and have the option of making a cash donation to keep the handmade pottery in which the soup was served, as a reminder of how many empty bowls exist in the world.
The RFH students, who were accompanied on their visit by the ceramics teacher Zach Wilson and Special Education Teacher Kevin James, agreed that the instructions provided to them during the training session proved invaluable.
Participating RFH students were Emily Babeuf, Melissa Becker, Donald Bedell, Mackenzie Brennan-Canada, Kate Edwards, Alexis Fox, Caitlin Griffith, Caroline Heins, Matthew (Matt) Hervilly, Katelyn Kearney, Regan LoSavio, Collin Mara, Thomas (Tom) Martello, Dominic Padula, Conner Phillips, Kelley Rigby, Kayla Santry, Michael (Mike) Stamoulis, Benjamin (Ben) Truex, Caitlin Veech, and Kaitlin Wallace.
