The day comes after JMT students taught each other about different disabilities
By KRYSTAL NURSE
The Sun
On March 21, kids within the Mantua Township School District are encouraged to “rock their socks” in an effort to raise awareness for Down syndrome.
Christa Timpano, special education teacher at J. Mason Tomlin Elementary School, said the 21st was chosen because Down syndrome is identified with three copies of the 21st chromosome.
“The 21st chromosome looks like a sock, and you wear a crazy sock, internationally, to signify it,” she said. “It’s for an organization called Nothing Down.”
The organization, she added, helps parents who received the diagnosis for their children and advocates for better special education and accommodations. Timpano said one of her former students is also an ambassador with the organization and they do fundraising events throughout the year.
She added students are encouraged to wear crazy socks because it shows “people with Down syndrome add a little color to our lives.” Faculty are also encouraged to wear them, in addition to donating $5 to wear jeans that day. All proceeds will go to Nothing Down.
Last year, she added, the district was going to do an event for Nothing Down, but a snowstorm thwarted the efforts. She doesn’t recall the district having any events prior to it for the organization.
The Rock Your Socks day comes just weeks after JMT had a disabilities awareness day. Timpano said students researched a variety of disabilities and the hallways were decorated with posters they created on the disabilities. At the March 11 board meeting, art teacher Nicole Jordan discussed how students were able to maturely discuss the variety of disabilities and were willing to share their personal experiences with it.
During it, Jordan also advocated for the district to celebrate disabilities every day.
She added kids were also able to physically learn about how a disability affects someone, and next month they plan to do an event for Autism Awareness Month.
She said the elementary school makes a conscious effort to include students who have a disability in the classrooms, lunches, recess and extracurricular activities.
“There’s not a stigma at the school about them,” she said.
At Clearview, she added, they are immersed in more inclusion events. The district is also participating in the Rock Your Socks day.
“I’m excited to see the kids participate with their crazy socks and show awareness that there are various disabilities out there and to celebrate each one,” she said.
Timpano said the district hopes to utilize the Special Olympics of New Jersey in the future to get the whole Mantua community involved, but she’s happy to be able to run this as she has a family member with Down syndrome and it “hits close to home.”
