Assemblies feel to me like the lifeblood of The IDEAL School; they're a place where the whole community comes together to share and learn and celebrate. You get the feeling that everyone is welcome and everyone matters - it's a real expression of the inclusive spirit that the school is founded on.
For us, Assembly has a very personal meaning. Our son Leo, who has never been big on getting up in front of crowds, and can get overwhelmed with too much stimulation, transformed at a recent Assembly. A few weeks earlier, he had made up a little ditty with his dad one Sunday morning, something they called "Breakfast With Leo and His Dad." He came in to school and sang it for Ms. Sorrentino, the music teacher, who was so excited that she added a bridge, helped flesh out the lyrics, and had the whole music class sing along. Then she and Leo decided that they'd perform the song at Assembly.
The night before the assembly, Leo was so excited he couldn't sleep. But when the big moment came, he clung to his dad, and didn't want to go up on stage alone. Ms. Sorrentino called his classmates and all the teachers up to come sing with him, and by the end of the song he had crawled down from his dad's arms and happily joined his friends.
A few weeks later, IDEAL was hosting an assembly for "Special Persons Day," where grandparents and other special people come to visit the school. Out of the blue, Ms. Sorrentino announced to the fairly large crowd that she wanted to share Leo's song, and told him that he didn't have to come up and sing if he didn't want to. Leo sprung out of his chair and said: "I want to!" He sang the whole thing alone, loving every minute, telling the audience "Come on everybody, join in!" when it came time for the chorus. It was an amazing moment - watching this little boy come out in front of a whole crowd of people.
He came home that night and proclaimed: "First there wasn't a Breakfast Song and then I made it and there was!"
To me the experience embodies everything magical about the IDEAL School: a teacher who took a child's potential and explored it. A community that celebrates him for who he is, and offers him a forum where he is free to take chances, stumble, get up, and triumph. I cannot imagine another school setting where he would have felt able and willing to take such a giant step forward, one that we will never forget and nor will he.
Becky Mode, Parent
