New City Elementary is educating the community about Autism.

The school's annual Autism Speaks Walk was informational and inspiring.

Students came out to the front lawn of the school, one grade level at a time, and following an exercise warm-up by Physical Education Teacher Jonn  McNaughton, the listened to a guest speaker. 

Clarkstown graduate Leah Ehrenberg spoke to the students about Autism and the misconceptions people might have about Autism.  She informed the students of her perseverance and the accomplishments she has made, most recently as an Honors Graduate from Rockland Community College. Ms. Ehrenberg's speech was insightful, inspiring and heart-warming.

The students were then on their way for a walk around the school with several stops along the way to read signs containing information about Autism:

**Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects one in 59 children in the United States.

**People with Autism may have difficulty with socializing and communicating.  Be patient when speaking to someone with Autism.

**Someone with Autism may have sensory needs.  Some people may have trouble with the way things smell.

**A person with Autism may have difficulty with loud or strange noises.

**More than 3.5 million people live with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the United States.

Yesterday marked the eighth year for the Autism Speaks Walk at New City Elementary.

"There are so many members (of the school) that participated in making this day work," said Deb Forman, Principal at New City Elementary. "Barbara McCabe is the coordinator of the event for our school. This began as something she really wanted to do to bring us together an entire building that works together to educate all students around Autism while celebrating out students in the STRIVE program."

STRIVE staff members that contributed ideass and crated items to enhance the walk in the following:  Carla Zambri, Jamie DiGiacomo, Kristen Byrne, Michelle Cusano, Colleen Glassey, Allison BorelMeghan Gaffney, Nadyne St. Joy Roche, Chalene Lucas, Maria D'Awuino, Tara Sovik-Bandel, and Gabriella Roberts.

The host of the event was John McNaughton, and the set-up crew included the following: Eileen Heim, Monica Rendina, Cynthia Garcia, Carleigh Marvin, Stephanie Olivieri, Kelly Minton, Ann Marie Heneghan, Dan Davida, Maureen Alden, and Michelle Parks.

"It is a gift to see first-hand how beautifully our students and staff members engage with our STRIVE children daily," said Ms. Forman.  "Having students with Autism as an integral part of our school communityh makes New City Elementary a very special place to learn: an environment I am both proud of, and humbled by.  The Autism Speaks Walk is an event we look forard to each and every year!"

Casey Dunbar was rewinding the school year on a computer screen yesterday.

The Clarkstown High School South senior was busy producing the sports segment of the Class of 2019 Senior Video. 

I had the opportunity to visit with Casey during a TV production class she attends with Ms. Helen Fishkin, and she took the time to explain the editing procedure for the video as well as the music overlay.  The South High School senior has a special connection to this particular segment of the Class of 2019 video as she was the goalie for the Girls Varsity Soccer team.

When the production is finished, I am certain that Casey and her classmates will enjoy reflecting on their senior year while watching the video in the coming weeks.