Second Grader Supports Down Syndrome Awareness

Second grader Clara Anderson inspired her classmates to support the school’s Down Syndrome Awareness Week. Clara's sister, Anna, has Down Syndrome so Clara was able to share her insight and ideas about how we can be more inclusive.
Second grader Clara Anderson inspired her classmates to support the school’s Down Syndrome Awareness Week. Clara, whose sister, Anna, has Down Syndrome, involved her class in activities throughout the week, such as:

- Reading a book that explains why a child with Down Syndrome may look and behave differently than other people, but also reinforces the ways we are all alike.
- Gathering facts about Down Syndrome and shared ideas with her teacher for encouraging acts of kindness and inclusion.
- Sharing her passion for sign language, which helps Clara and her family communicate with Anna. Anna visited Clara’s classroom to help Clara teach her friends some signs! Said Clara, “I love sign language because, if I meet someone that has trouble with speech, maybe I can communicate with them. I want to be an occupational therapist when I grow up. I go sometimes with Anna and I think it’s fun!”

Clara’s teacher, Mrs. Kalshoven, says, “Clara is incredibly compassionate. You can see that the care she shows her sister at home carries over to the kindness she shows her classmates at school.”
Back
Mason Preparatory School is committed to the education of the whole child in preparation for secondary education through the cultivation of respect, integrity, and personal responsibility within a nurturing environment that results in a productive citizen of a global community.