Paleontologist
Alexis Oppenheim
“This reminds me of being a paleontologist. Reminds me of fossils…it’s really old… If I be a paleontologist, I want to be on tv and do a show that will be how to do that (dig up dinosaur bones). My favorite dinosaur is the Alasaurus, because it has my name in it.”
Sweet As Candy
Ari Mayer
"I love candy…It’s at the supermarket. And all this candy is really yummy because I am…Yes, I am sweet…My favorite candy is chocolate.”
Sunset Cruise
Craig Tarentino
“I love my scooter because I can’t pedal a bike and it’s easier to ride, it’s electrical. I can go to the neighborhood and go visit Jimmy and my grandmother and my aunt, everyone in the neighborhood. Before, I felt like my brother and sister would go off on the bike…I would just sit there and not really do anything. I would be bored a lot…Finally, I got a scooter, ‘vroom, vroom, zoom, zoom away’…I have a mobility one (scooter), I think it is a CMT…we always joke, my father (calls it the)…Craig Mobile Tarentino…CMT…I got some tassels on the handlebars. And on the keychain, I have a little American flag. And I have a pink radio, which I always have on everytime I ride by. And I have my cell phone with me just in case I break down…It’s fun to have…I can go places…You can get away from the house, ‘Bye, bye’… makes me feel like I’m getting too old, a teenager…(I have) independence.”
Summer Sun
Craig Tarentino
“Hello, today’s weather is going to be sunny, a chance of showers…I think it is going to be 95 degrees out…This is weather at your desk, my name is Craig Tarentino and I’m signing off…Maybe (I will be) a weatherman…The way they talk (is) cool.”
Cotting Prom
Kristina Gillis
“We danced to great music and had dinner at the prom and took pictures, so that was fun…I love listening to 50s music…like, the song…Great Balls of Fire...I found my prom dress the week of April vacation…I said, ‘I want this blue one with the sparkles because it looks like Cinderella’s dress, that’s the one I want’…I had to get shoes, but I took off my shoes when we were doing a dance because my shoes were killing me (Was your mom there?) No, she left and I’m glad she left because I like to be by myself…But I don’t like to leave my mommy. I’m nervous about going to camp and not having my mommy being there.”
Grandma
Kristina Gillis
“(Grandma), I know you are there and I really miss you…We went to the mall on Thursday and we had fun. I miss you and I’ll see you. I’ll talk to you later…Bye…The last time I got to see her… I gave her hugs and I gave her kisses and I said, ‘Grandma it’s ok, don’t worry if you pass, you did a good job.’ I really didn’t expect that this would happen. I used to say, ‘Grandma’s going to live until she is 552-years-old.’ But now it’s never going to happen, because she didn’t live that long. But I still wish she could live a little longer.”
Traffic
Mariana Vetoulis-Acevedo
“Window…I like watching traffic…I have bad dreams. I say, ‘Eek.’ I have nightmares, ‘Eek’…I see cars at night…(It) helps me sleep..(cars) moving…Help me sleep.”
My Ducky
Mariana Vetoulis-Acevedo
“It’s my ducky in the pond…it’s a rubber ducky. (When do you play with your rubber duckies?) In the bath. (Do you have a favorite duck?) Oh my blue rubber ducky, that’s my favorite. Next is pink ducky and my nurse ducky.”
Formula
Monica Jennings
“(I consume) seven cans (of formula), seven days a week…(Are there different flavors?) No, as you get older, they change. (Do you like the taste?) Yes, I kind of like this one, but everyone else thinks they smell. Even my mom. I can’t smell very good. We leave it in my room. Sometimes the ants come in and go after it. (What do you miss eating?) Cereal and macaroni. I wish I could eat the whole cereal, the cereal part. One of my favorite cereal brands is Lucky Charms. And I like the marshmallows, but my mom always makes me avoid the blue moon and the rainbow…Sometimes I grab the cereal when no one is looking.”
Lunchtime
Monica Jennings
“(During lunchtime at school) I take my formula and then I have a snack with me. Cowtales probably. I can eat an apple. And I have to spit it out…The Cowtales melt in my mouth. This is where I sit in the nurse’s office. (Do you sit by yourself?) I have some things that keep me company. Homework. (How does it make you feel?) A little lonely. (Where would you rather be?) Sitting out in the cafeteria with my friends, Belinda and Amanda. (What do you miss?) The good food. Sometimes they have fruit by the foot. I like those.”
Teacher/ Truck Driver
Zach Martin
“I want to be a Special Ed teacher at Cotting… Every since I read the very first time to Little Nick, it set off a spark. I felt sort of proud that I was reading to a kid that has a disability…It just made me really think that I really wanted to be a Special Ed teacher.” I also want to be a truck driver…I’ll have to park way back in the teacher’s parking lot by the bushes.”
Special Olympics
Zach Martin
“(The Special Olympics is) for kids that have disabilities, so that they are able to compete…I would really like to try out for the actual Olympics, but the Special Olympics is more accessible for people with wheelchairs, ADHD, people with learning problems…These are my friends…I do the dash and the softball throw…I ran 16 seconds to win the 100 meter dash…I couldn’t breathe because I was running so fast…One of the LPT teachers called me ‘The Golden Bullet.’ (What did you call yourself?) Grease lightning…Sometimes my side hurts, but I say, ‘Go Speedy or go Grease Lightning.’”
Blue
Billy White
"It looks like a blue truck. And it looks like somebody painted it...(There is) a wheelchair sign...A wheelchair sign means like a handicapped sign. A handicapped sign is like me being handicapped. (What does that mean?) It means like I can't walk as good...I have trouble, but I still walk."
Backyard
Leah Witkowski
"It is very peaceful...I really do like wintertime. It's really nice...I like to go out sledding, I like to make a snowman and I like to make snowballs."