Jordan Ridge fourth-grader Chloe Sintz accidently bumped into her classmates as she and her best friend were trying to run through the halls of her school.

“It was squishy with everyone running and walking, but I liked it because they made a rule that we can’t run in the halls, but now we’re doing it,” she said. “We get to break the rule and they’re OK with it.”

She and others were racing around the hallways with the nod of approval as inclement weather prevented the jogathon to be held outdoors. 

But running indoors wasn’t the only twist to the PTA fun run.

This year, Chloe and others weren’t just raising money for their school. They hoped to bring in donations for Kauri Sue Hamilton school, which serves students with significant cognitive delays, speech delays, physical impairments and severe multiple disabilities.

“My brother goes there; he’s 18 and can go there until he’s 22,” she said. “A lot of special needs kids go there, and they have good teachers. They ride a school bus that has seatbelts and a ramp, then go to school where they have a bunch of classrooms and a swimming pool. He has learned a bunch of stuff, like he learned to spell his name. Sometimes he can be hard to take care of, but I’m glad we got to do this for his school. Last year, at an assembly, we learned that people need to be kind. Don’t just stare, go up and say ‘hi.’ A lot of people in my class don’t know about special needs class or Down Syndrome, which is what he has. They aren’t used to kids with braces or wheelchairs.”

Jordan Ridge PTA member Laura Anderson coordinated the fun run.

“We appreciate the Jordan Ridge community that is really supportive as far as fundraising goes, but we also hope to bring some awareness to Kauri Sue Hamilton students,” she said. “We’re wanting people who are willing to support those students. I would imagine their resources, financially, emotionally, physically, mentally, are stretched very thin so our students were running for both schools. We partnered up so we could be their legs, so to speak, for the fundraiser.”

Community members can donate to Kauri Sue Hamilton School’s fundraiser through the Jordan Education Foundation, Anderson said, adding that Jordan Ridge funds were collected separately. 

The idea came about after last year’s kindness assembly at Jordan Ridge.

“Last year, the Kauri Sue students shared a little bit about their cool wheelchairs and gave our students an opportunity to see people with severe physical disabilities. Our students learned to show kindness to someone who might have difficulty. Since then, we’ve wanted to do more because I understand they have a lot of needs, and they don’t have a lot of resources. So, we decided this was a way we could help,” she said. 

Jordan Ridge Principal Melissa Beck said a priority with the kindness assembly was to familiarize students with those of differing abilities.

“It’s a way to teach and expose them to students with differences so they can be accepting, show kindness and we can be unified together,” she said. “My main thing is to prioritize creating unity with people with differences, whether that’s cultural differences, religious differences or any difference. As our community becomes more diverse, we want to teach students that we all have culture, and it can unite us. When we take opportunities to teach our students about those differences, then they’re more likely to create positive experiences around those differences and create a sense of belonging.”

During the initial visit, Kauri Sue and Jordan Ridge students were able to pair up and ask questions, Kauri Sue Hamilton School Principal Courtney Titus said.

“I had my students’ devices programmed and let them each answer their questions in the way that they communicate,” she said. “My staff and I took a little bit of time between different questions and explained the different ways our students communicate without their voices, how they get around school if they don’t walk, how they eat if they don’t use their mouth. We also showed the typical students that our students like to do many of the same things that they do.”

She also told Jordan Ridge students, “Everyone has feelings and wants to be included. We hope that instead of being afraid of people and looking at them differently you can now have the courage to be kind. Be a friend.”

That friendship was extended during the recent fun run when Kauri Sue Hamilton students came with posters to cheer on their 640 Jordan Ridge friends.

“Our kids were excited to see them and before running, they were able to give them high fives,” Anderson said.

Beck said there’s now “a bond, a friendship and a desire to support one another. We can support them in things like fundraising, and then they support us by helping share their experiences so that our students can have those learning opportunities. We think of them as our sister school now.”

Titus appreciated Jordan Ridge Elementary students’ generosity “to do something for someone who couldn’t do it on their own. The students were learning powerful lessons about giving and serving others.”

She said the run and assembly helped create community spirit and an increased awareness. 

“These events are helping foster a sense of inclusion and community between the students of both schools,” she said. “Through the dedication and compassion shown by the elementary students running on their behalf, our students feel a deep sense of inclusion and support. This event not only raises essential funds, but also highlights the importance of community and empathy.”

Jordan Ridge parent Melanie Pendrey volunteered at the run and supports the partnership.

“Any interaction you can get with kids who are different is good for the kids; it’s good for everybody,” she said. “It

helps kids see perspective and they learn we likely have the same likes and dislikes. I like the kids are running for a purpose. They know they’re making money for the school and for others.”

While there were incentives to bring in money, Chloe said she and her classmates knew there was something greater at stake.

“We wanted to show them we cared and that we can help,” she said.

Titus thanked the Jordan Ridge students and those involved on behalf of her school.

“Your efforts have brought joy, opportunity and a sense of belonging to our school community,” she said. “Thank you for being their champions and making a difference in their lives.” λ