Abp. Hannan's 'GRACE' program helps students with exceptional needs

By Joanne Washington
Guest columnist

When the pandemic started, we were like a lot of parents – just trying to make sure our children received the best education, given the circumstances. We would soon find out how easily our child’s education was not being taken seriously.

Our son Dwayne is a 14-year-old with autism who had been enrolled in public schools since pre-K. By fifth grade, it seemed like the school used our Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings to claim he was incapable of doing anything and recommending modifications he didn’t need.

After two years of pleading for my child to be seen and be given the chance he deserved, my husband and I decided to take Dwayne out of public school, and I would homeschool him full time.

Homeschooled at first
It was by no means an easy decision in the beginning, but I have no regrets. My greatest joy was seeing him learning and accomplishing all the things we knew he could.

While I enjoyed this time with him, I also knew he needed to be somewhere with friends and other kids his age. He needed more than I could give him. I wanted to continue to protect him, but I also wanted to see him continue to grow, develop his social skills, be a teenager with other teenagers and have real-world experiences.

We began looking at other homeschooling schools and programs because public school was not an option for us. He had worked so hard that it didn’t make sense to put him back in a place that wouldn’t nurture his education or well-being.

Dwayne’s friend’s mom and I had become friends during the pandemic. We would make dates for our boys to do art, science experiments, ride their bikes or scooters and anything else fun. In early 2023, she was telling me about this program that was starting at Archbishop Hannan High School. I was intrigued.

We were about a week from the beginning of the new school year, and my husband and I didn’t know what we were going to do about Dwayne’s schooling. We decided that we wanted to check out Hannan’s GRACE Program to see if it was a good fit. This led me to Nancy Baird, head of school, and to Maddy Kelly, the GRACE program director. They were and are two of the sweetest, kindest souls that I have ever spoken with.

My husband and I went to tour the school without having a plan B for Dwayne. I’m crying as I’m writing this because the love we felt on this tour, not just for us, but for our son, was everything you pray for. We knew this is where he belonged, but tuition was also firmly in our minds. I told my husband this had to work out because Dwayne belonged here at Hannan.

All of this was made clear when Dwayne Jr. opened up and started speaking freely. It’s something he just doesn’t do right away with others. I just sat in my chair, fighting back tears, because I saw him, everything he is and everything he would become. My heart was and still is so full!

He has blossomed so much in such a short amount of time. He has joined some clubs, attended his first school dance and walks like he is a part of something bigger than himself. He is part of the basketball team, which is awesome because Coach Gauff doesn’t sideline any of the kids. They are given the same opportunities as everyone else.

I attended my first Hawk Learning Plan Meeting to set goals for Dwayne, and Maddy Kelly covered everything. She was doing everything that I would have done and more. Her goals were so on point for my son that I didn’t even have any concerns to add to the plan. It’s as if she heard everything I said in the first three meetings and took action to make sure Dwayne had everything that he needed.

I always joke and say, “Who is this kid?” but I know he’s a young man who has found his place. He’s found himself in a place that has welcomed him in and is providing him with all the tools he needs to continue growing and succeeding in life.

The Hawk Buddy system has provided him with incredible, genuine friendships. It’s such a blessing to have these young men and women show up for them daily in the most brotherly and sisterly way.

We are beyond grateful, blessed and appreciative for being able to be a part of this incredible community and the Hawk Family.

Joanne Washington is a parent of a student at Archbishop Hannan High School.

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By Peter Finney Jr.
Clarion Herald

The idea for Archbishop Hannan High School to create a program geared toward meeting students with exceptional needs grew out of a meeting that former head of school Chad Barwick had with the archdiocesan Department of Catholic Education and Faith Formation.

While all-boys’ St. Paul’s School had a program in place for several years – the CORE Pack – Archbishop Hannan wanted to do something similar for its coed student body, said current Hannan head of school Nancy Baird.

Thus was born in August the GRACE program, an acronym for “Grow, Rise,  Achieve through Catholic Education.” Four girls and two boys are in the inaugural cohort.

“For the past 36 years, Archbishop Hannan High School has welcomed students with exceptionalities, and our GRACE program is an expansion of our current services,” said Baird, who joined the Hannan administration in 2010. “An important part of our Catholic mission is to educate all of God’s children, and we are constantly looking for ways to expand those options in our schools.  The success of our program is a testament to our desire to meet the needs of each and every student.”

The GRACE program is run by Maddy Kelly, who develops an individualized “Hawk Learning Plan” for each student to target what the student needs.

“We did a lot of pre-testing to see where the students were, so that way we can meet them where they are and raise the bar for them as we go,” Kelly said.

The program is less than two months old, but it already has had impacts far beyond the six students. More than 50 students are serving as “Hawk Buddies” to provide companionship and mentorship to the GRACE students.

Alex Dodd, a senior catcher on the baseball team, has been so enamored with helping the younger students that he plans to major in special education in college.

“Alex walked up to me and said, ‘This is going to make my senior year!’” Baird said.

“As soon as I got to meet everybody and actually connect with them, any doubts I had flew out the window,” Dodd said. “In the first week, they were already giving me nicknames like ‘Big Alex’ and ‘Teacher Alex.’ They can make anybody feel better. You can see other people’s moods change just by being around them because they don’t have a bad day. You go in there and they’re always smiling. It’s cool to watch because they love it here and you can see that.”

For more information about the GRACE program, call (985) 249-6363.

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