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.”

The work is both enjoyable and meaningful. For Guild School student Korey Myers, that’s a “fruitful” combination.

Students in Liz’s classroom learned an important lesson about goodwill this spring as they organized a bake sale at school and then presented the proceeds to a nearby animal shelter during their recent visit.

It’s a perfect bit of symbolism: As the plants grow at The Guild’s community garden, so do the skills and abilities of the student gardeners.

Several different classes tend to the garden, where flowers (petunias and begonias), fruits (tomatoes and pumpkins), vegetables (peppers, French beans and peas) and herbs (basil, parsley) are all thriving due to the students’ efforts and help from a rainy spring.

From The J.K. Rowling Award for increased use of a communication device to the Master Chef Award for planning and cooking dinner at the residence, The Guild School celebrated the accomplishments of our students at the annual Awards Day.

“Guild’s Got Talent” – the theme of this year’s Guild School talent show – proved to be no mere boast as about 20 students showed off their skills and abilities by playing musical instruments, singing, dancing, performing magic tricks, telling jokes, demonstrating contortionist flexibility and even simulating noises from different car brands.

While most of the students showed off their talents solo, the annual event also featured a student-teacher song-and dance-routine and a group reading of Eric Carle’s classic “Head to Toe” by Shaina’s class.

Boston Parents Paper

The Next Wave of Recess Renaissance

By James V. Major

At The Guild for Human Services in Concord, the challenge of designing an accessible, inclusive playground was not only accommodating differences in physical ability but age as well. The Guild, which serves individuals with intellectual disabilities, autism and behavioral/mental health challenges, operates a school and residential program for 85 youth ages 6-22 and a residential program for 55 adults.

The Guild’s new community work partnership with the Revival Café + Kitchen in Cambridge is off to a five-star start.

Since late March, four Guild students have each been working a weekly one-hour shift at the popular restaurant. The students assemble bakery boxes, stock beverage coolers and add the Revival logo to bags and boxes.

For the 12 years he worked for and later helped manage the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center’s after-school program in the Josiah Quincy Elementary School, Andrew Kilgore often fielded one particular question.

“You are so good with the kids, why don’t you become a teacher?” parents and colleagues would frequently ask him.

“I don’t know – maybe someday,” the Boston University graduate typically answered.

Samantha Carrroll’s upcoming graduation from The Guild School will be a bittersweet day for her parents, Dan and Lisa. The graduation ceremony will represent an opportunity to celebrate her myriad accomplishments, but also a time to bid goodbye to a community that has supported and encouraged Samantha for the last six years.