Grade Two ’ s Partnership with the Manhattan Childrens Center
By Nick Imbelli ’ 99
“ One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood .” -Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Two students stood across from each other , both beaming with pride . One , a student at the Manhattan Childrens Center ( MCC ), the other a Saint David ’ s second-grade boy . After a series of six visits over four months , the student from MCC was presenting her new friend with a thank you card , and expressing her gratitude through the support of an MCC aide and an iPad to facilitate her communication . Our boy , proudly accepting the card as if he had just received the Headmaster ’ s Award in front of his friends and family , spoke volumes about the bond that these two children formed , despite their differences .
In a year where Saint David ’ s celebrated kindness as the school-wide theme , we were fortunate to resume a longstanding partnership with The Manhattan Childrens Center , a school that serves students with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ). Through our partnership , the students of MCC participated in weekly sessions with our second-grade boys , as they developed their capacity for parallel play ,
18 • Saint David ’ s Magazine