Elaine's School History

School was always an enjoyable experience for Elaine. She began attending Millidgeville North School when she was just 3 years old, and graduated at age 20. The following is a list of the schools that she attended.

• Millidgeville North, 6 months
• Holy Trinity (closed in 2005), 2 years
• Glen Falls, 1 year
• Prince Charles, 6 years
• Hazen White-St. Francis, 4 years
• Simonds High, 4 years

School was Elaine's only major social experience outside of her home. Unable to be placed in the regular curriculum, she was always in a special class. She was with other people with disabilities, and was always known to be talkative, and always willing to give out hugs. Unlike some parents, mine never tried to force my sister into normal classes. We were just happy that she had a place to go. If only we could bring back the days of school for Elaine . . .

Elaine at school on the bus with Millie

Even the school bus ride was a thrill for her. She adored all of her bus drivers. From my perpective, that's all there was to her school day. I never actually had the opportunity to see her in school, except a few times on videotape for school concerts and the such. Instead, I would sometimes see her leave on the bus in the morning and come back in the afternoon.

On June 14th, 2002, the school bus came for the last time. I was home all day. So, with our old video camera which wasn't working right, I decided to go tape her departure in the morning, and her return in the afternoon. The camera held out long enough to get the whole event on tape. The camera wasn't in the best of condition, but as my mother said, you can't repeat memorable events like this one.

It did arrive in the afternoon, and I was waiting for it 15 minutes beforehand, video camera at hand. I video-taped it turn around in the cul-de-sac, and slowly, my sister was unloaded for the last time. She was all smiles. Little did she know it would be her last time ever. She may not even realize it until the school year starts again. As the school bus left down the street, we knew it would never come back . . .

View the Last School Bus Ride Video

I decided to create this web site to serve as a lasting reminder of the good times had by Elaine during her school years, and also for presentation to others who want to read about her. I'll continue to add things to this web page as they come to mind. Thanks for reading!

Photo Gallery

Elaine with her grandmother on Graduation night.

Elaine receives an unexpected $200 bursary from the Cerebral Palsy Foundation along with her diploma. The diploma came as a complete surprise to us. A note to parents attending graduations - please don't block the aisles until your son/daughter is up! We almost did not have a chance to take this photo because the entire aisle dedicated to photographers was blocked.

Elaine with her father on Graduation night.

Elaine with Susan Porter, one of her teachers in high school.