The Guild for Human Services has been recognized with an Award of Excellence in the 28th Annual Communicator Awards for its short documentary, The World Got Smaller: The Spirit of The Guild During COVID-19. Produced by Viamark Video, the film features interviews with Guild staff, students, residents, parents, and community partners and provides a first-hand look at how the pandemic curtailed the community life of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

The first week of May marked National Teacher Appreciation Week. This year, we honored our incredible school and residential staff with special events each day, including yard games, a Kona ice truck, candy bar, and cupcake party.

Throughout the week, we featured interviews with staff members on our social media pages. Check out interview highlights below, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @guildhumanservices for full staff profiles:

On a chilly Tuesday afternoon, Guild School student Leah* is busy whipping up some homemade mac n’ cheese in Middlesex Community College’s instructional kitchen. “It’s even better than Kraft,” she promises.

The Guild for Human Services, which educates, encourages, and empowers individuals with intellectual disabilities, is premiering its documentary, The World Got Smaller: The Spirit of The Guild during COVID-19 on March 16th at 1 PM EST online. The short film provides a first-hand look at how the pandemic curtailed the community life of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The film is being released to commemorate the second anniversary of the State of Emergency declared in Massachusetts and the subsequent closing of schools.

Leading up to the March 16th premiere of The World Got Smaller: The Spirit of The Guild During COVID-19, we’ll be featuring students, residents, staff, and parents interviewed in the film on our blog.

Laura Schooley, Student Services Manager, celebrated her 10-year anniversary with The Guild last month! We sat down with Laura to chat about her professional experiences and what motivates her in her role.   

What roles have you held with The Guild?

After remaining closed throughout the pandemic’s peak to provide distanced office space for staff, The Guild’s counseling center has re-opened. Counselors can now take advantage of its chalkboard wall, collection of instruments, therapeutic toys, and art supplies.

The language we use to describe ourselves and others has lasting implications. Language preferences are personal, especially as terminology evolves within the disability movement to accurately reflect individuals’ unique strengths and challenges. Recently, some have shifted away from the term ‘nonverbal’ in favor of ‘nonspeaking’ to describe individuals who use modalities other than speech to communicate.

On a cold Wednesday in November, The Guild School’s kitchen is a whirlwind of activity: one student pops a pan of cheesy pigs-in-a-blanket into the oven while another cleans up the countertops. More student chefs are putting the finishing touches on a second tray, taking care to wrap each appetizer just right.

This month, we’d like to congratulate Guild staff member Benji Menard on his recent promotion to Pine House Manager. Benji has been with The Guild for five years, having served as Overnight Residential Staff, Residential Assistant, and Assistant Residential Manager with Dogwood House, and most recently as the Lead Residential Assistant with the Woburn I adult house. We sat down with Benji to learn more about his journey with The Guild: