The Power Of Peers 
Emerald Cove Middle School

Emerald Cove Middle School (ECMS), in Wellington, FL opened in the Fall of 2007 as an inclusion-ready school. The principal, Dr. Nancy Lucas, asked the Palm Beach County FIN team to provide training for the staff on inclusive best practices. Before the students arrived during the fall of 2007, teachers learned many ways to support the wide range of students with disabilities who were enrolled at the school. Each staff member reflected that inclusion was a priority topic, and so it began.

The ESE and general education teacher teams throughout the school embraced the philosophy of "our" students, not "your" students or "my" students. Two teachers who represented this shift in thinking are Mrs. Gerard, a teacher of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Mrs. Cahl, a teacher of students with intellectual disabilities. Following is their story of how peer supports truly can make a difference:

“The Social Inclusion Project Club" was a HUGE Success. The students in Mrs. Cahl’s and Mrs. Gerard’s classes gained many important skills this year through bonding and building friendships with general education students. We paired five general education students with one child with a disability to be their friendship mentor. The 25 general education mentors sat with them at lunch, said 'Hi' to them in the hallways, modeled how to build upon friendships created during monthly club activities, and encouraged them at Special Olympics events. The students went on many fun social trips into the community: Lion Country Safari, Rapids Water Park, and the Silver Screen Movie Theater. They also participated together in many naturally-occurring school functions: dances, recreation nights, and sporting events.

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