Inclusive Schools Week 2026

Please see the slideshow below.

We would like to thank everyone for their support and enthusiasm during our fourth annual Inclusive Schools Week.

Inclusive Schools Week is an annual celebration of inclusivity and acceptance. This year’s theme was Children First: Building a Stronger Tomorrow. The guiding question was, “How can we ensure that students with disabilities are seen, heard, and valued in every aspect of school life?” In that spirit, we focused on inclusivity in the academic classroom, music, art, physical education, and the community at large.

At the elementary level, C.H.I.L.D. provided all four schools with materials to create an Inclusive Schools Week bulletin board. Teachers were given video links to picture books, as well as daily lessons and activities. Librarians Ms. Walker and Ms. Freda received picture books for each school. Some of the titles donated included Unbound: The Life and Art of Judith Scott by Joyce Scott and Brie Spangler, This Is How We Play: A Celebration of Disability and Adaptation by Jessica Slice and Caroline Cupp, I Am We: A Book of Community by Susan Verde, Marvelous: An Inclusive Kids Book Celebrating a Child with ADHD by Alexandra Hoffman, and Brilliant Bea: A Story for Kids with Dyslexia and Learning Differences by Shaina Rudolph.

At H.B. Whitehorne Middle School, staff were provided with YouTube videos, activities, TED Talks, and adaptive art tools. Ms. Sewell, her students, and paraprofessionals helped create the school bulletin board. Ms. Kleinknecht guided her students through an Inclusive Schools Week gallery walk highlighting notable individuals with disabilities. Ms. Qin created a bulletin board and led activities in her Mandarin classes. Art teacher Ms. Mustardo introduced students to adaptive art tools and plans to incorporate them into future projects.

At Verona High School, staff and students were provided with a series of TED Talks. The student-run club VHS Connect spearheaded activities throughout the week, culminating in a bake sale on Friday. Members interviewed fellow students about inclusion, created posters and playlists highlighting famous artists and musicians with disabilities, and designed Canva posters for athletic teams to share on team Instagram pages to promote awareness. VHS Connect is led by Lori Hempel, with the support of advisors Dr. Shapiro, Mrs. Diaz, and Mrs. Bayram.

The Inclusive Schools Week Collage Contest was also a highlight. Our Board was very impressed by the hard work and creativity reflected in each submission. At our Open SEPAC Meeting on March 10th, we will recognize the winners with certificates and a monetary award. This year’s winners are Claire Gruchacz (Brookdale Avenue Elementary School), Mackenzie Kaufman (F.N. Brown Elementary School), Airah Rahaman (Forest Avenue Elementary School), Ryan O’Connor (Laning Avenue Elementary School), and Alivia Lee (H.B. Whitehorne Middle School).

The winning collages will be on display at the Verona Public Library through the last week of March.

Behind the scenes, we were fortunate to work with Dr. Miller, Ms. Symmons, our principals, administrative assistants, school librarians, VHS Connect, C.H.I.L.D. parent volunteers, and the many teachers and staff members who helped make the week a success.