A Dance of Love & Acceptance
By Guest
Volunteers gather for a photo at the first St. John’s School dance in November.
Submitted by Marianne Arcieri
St. John the Evangelist School in Canton, under the leadership of Principal Sean Richardson, is a community centered on love, service and academics. It is a very nurturing environment for students (K-8) to grow socially, emotionally and academically. This past fall, the eighth grade students started an outreach program for special needs teens and tweens. These students, along with volunteers from a local Catholic high school, host a monthly dance for special needs children ages 11-19.
The first dance was held back in November with volunteers from Bishop Feehan High School, who were wonderful mentors for the St. John’s students. The Christmas dance was hosted by the St. John’s students themselves and they did a fantastic job. The warmth, love, and attention the students displayed when dancing with the special needs teens was great! You could see by the enthusiastic expressions on the faces of all the students that there is a community spirit of love and acceptance.
At these dances there are no spectators. You can count on a St. John’s student to be with you. No one will be left alone. My daughter, a 15 year old with microcephaly and significant learning disabilities, loves the dances and looks forward to them every month. She feels that everyone at St. John’s is her friend. One young man, described by his mother as a dancing machine, came all the way from Dracut just to dance for a couple of hours. His parents were so happy to see such a loving environment for their special needs son to dance and have a great time with such wonderful role models. That is how the St. John’s students make every special needs child feel. The special needs teens feel the love in the room with the enthusiastic smiles and genuine hugs given to them by their new friends.
St. John’s School is a place to build loving friendships for all of God’s children. Special needs children will feel accepted and sincerely cared for by the very compassionate eighth graders while having a whole lot of fun.
The next St. John’s event, a Valentine’s Dance, is scheduled for February 1 from 7-9 p.m. Ursuline Academy students will act as DJs and help to lead the dance. Admission is $10, and all the proceeds benefit the school or a local charity. Complimentary light refreshments are available. These St. John’s dances will run through April and are held on the first Saturday of the month. For any questions regarding the dance, please contact Marianne or Angela Arcieri at mariannearcieri@comcast.net.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=23947
Posted by Guest
on Jan 23 2014. Filed under Featured Content.
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