Students, staff ‘Light It Up Blue’ on Rye Lake Lower Campus

Autism Awareness event was a celebration and a chance to come together

A sea of blue flooded the Decagon building on the Rye Lake Campus as students, staff and parents celebrated Autism Awareness Month.

The ‘Light It Up Blue’ event provided engaging activities and a unique opportunity for those in the AIIM program to come together in an engaging social event that parents said they appreciated.  

“Any time we can support what this school is doing, we’re happy to,” said parent Kevin Brown. “It’s just great what they’re doing here. I think it’s great how these kids, including my son, are interacting with one another.”

Parent David Alicea agreed that the social engagement on display was impressive. He said he and his wife appreciate the opportunity that events like this provide for students to come together.

The program here at SWBOCES has been a great fit for their son, Mr. Alicea said, and he expressed gratitude for the staff here and the work they do on behalf of students.

The event featured activities for students like temporary tattoos, cupcake and cookie decorating, face painting, and bubble blowing. At one station students were asked to share their name and their classroom location in order to locate their uniquely designed puzzle piece, which was used to check-in on the student and staff created AIIM Autism Awareness Heart.

Staff were clad in blue T-shirts with an Autism Awareness design. The shirts were arranged several weeks in advance of the event. Visitors turned up in blue for the occasion as well. The April 2 event also coincided with World Autism Awareness Day. 

“Our parents are so supportive of our program, and our team is dedicated to providing fun and engaging social opportunities like this for their students,” Principal Julia Dolan said. “This is more than a celebration of autism awareness. It’s a celebration of our students and all they are accomplishing throughout the school year.”

AIIM, which stands for Applied Intensive Intervention Model, is an autism disorders program that is provided for K-12 students in settings across SWBOCES.

“This event is a wonderful opportunity to bring students and their families together to celebrate autism awareness and continue to foster a sense of community.” added Director of Special Services Jessica Walker, one of several top district officials on hand for the event. “The students' practice of social and communication skills is a reflection of the specially designed instruction provided daily by the dedicated staff.”