From jumping in the bouncy house to a competitive tug-of-war game, students, their families and staff celebrated the impending end of summer at The Guild’s 18th annual Field Day.

The pirates-themed day lightheartedly celebrated the summer curriculum topics of land and water. Along with a bouncy house, Field Day featured a dunk tank; lawn games; basketball; face-painting; arts and crafts; music; and swinging, sliding and spinning on the playground.

Every evening after dinner, Joe Johnson reaches for his cellphone and calls his twin grandsons – Justice at his Guild residence and Raekwon at Crotched Mountain School. “Grampy” enquires about their days, sings them each a song (“Old MacDonald Had a Farm” for Justice, “I Will Always Love You” for Raekwon) and then concludes the call with a familiar phrase that the boys sometimes complete themselves: “Sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite.”

Interested in serving as a liaison to The Guild School and representing the interests of parents and guardians? Want to share feedback with senior leadership about your child’s experience? Hoping to network with other Guild parents?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may want to consider joining The Guild’s Youth Parent/Family Advisory Committee (PAC).
 

When Oanh Bui immigrated to the United States from Vietnam in 2008 with her daughter, “Tiny,” there was no support group to help Vietnamese-speaking parents of students with special needs navigate the thicket of school districts, government organizations and insurance companies to ensure appropriate care for their children.

Our 29-year-old son, Christian, was born prematurely after his heart stopped beating. His brain did not receive oxygen for 12 minutes and he suffered brain damage similar to a significant stroke. He’s had hundreds of hospitalizations and 80 surgeries, including 40 neurosurgeries. He has cerebral palsy and is visually impaired. He has significant difficulty communicating, knowing what he wants to say but not being able to say it. In spite of all this, he is still his own person.

Thomas P. Corcoran, the new president of the Board of Trustees, is struck that even now, more than five years after his son Conor graduated from The Guild School, staff members inquire about him.

“When I walk around The Guild, I still get asked, ‘Hey, how’s Conor doing? We really miss him.’ ”

When my son, Korey, was born 19 years ago, I knew very little about parenting a child, let alone a child with special needs. What I did know, and learned very quickly, was that I loved Korey with all of my heart – the same way all parents love their children.

I enjoyed being a new mom, although the expected early milestones – talking, sitting up and walking – were delayed and required early intervention. It was soon apparent to me that this journey would be different than I expected.

In the last few years, I’ve read or heard hundreds of references to “helicopter parents.” Mostly, the references have underscored words of wisdom from parents about letting go of control and allowing children to experience age-appropriate responsibility.