Photos By Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta
Young people with disabilities and special needs enjoyed a fun-filled, high-energy morning of activities at West Orange High School at the annual “Move the Spectrum” event.
There were cross curriculum activities in sports, art, music, entertainment, games, a DJ, glitter tattoos, and special guests. Activities were planned by coordinator Ryan Patscher. Markus Fonvil assisted in media marketing.
Attendees were in ninth to 12th grades and programs for 18 to 21 year olds. They were able to move freely to areas of interest with assistance of an aide, buddy, teacher, parent, or teammate.
“Move the Spectrum” was created by West Orange physical education teacher, Chuck Mound, with a stated mission of “Connect, Create, and Conquer.” Students can bond with kids from other schools and make new friends. Young people from more than 10 schools in the area came to the event. New schools in attendance for this year included Roxbury, Mount Olive, Pequannock, and Ridgewood.
It’s the first time the yearly event was held indoors due to the inclement weather, according to Mound.
“These kids come to class every day with a smile,” he said. “It makes you wonder who’s teaching? This is a perfect day for our special event.”
Rutgers Assistant Football Coach Erick Taylor was at the event with some players.
“It’s good for kids to come to events,” Taylor said. “It’s good to take a day seeing life from their eyes.”
The Rutgers players included Jasire Peterson, Zilan Williams, Moses Walker, Antonio White, Kaj Sanders, Moses Gbage-Sowah, and Mike Robinson. Dane Belton from the New York Giants was also in attendance.
Dylan, who is in the 18-21 Program, said, “It’s my first time. I love it!”
Efrain, 15, was very enthusiastic to be at the event. His teacher Kayla Gangemi said, “He is a very charismatic student. He’s been talking about this event all week. He loves to dance. He loves Michael Jackson.”
Jacob Salinas is a freshman at West Orange High School who was a volunteer DJ. He played songs like “The Macarena,” “Celebration,” and “We Are The Champions” to get people moving. He deejays as a hobby.
“We Are The Champions” was the last dance number of the event and nearly everyone got on the dance floor to sing, cheer, hug, and dance.
To learn more about Move the Spectrum, visit their Instagram page at: https://www.instagram.com/movethespectrum/
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