On Wednesday September 3, Butterfly Grove opened its doors for the first time. This new school within a school on the NDB campus focuses on giving young children on the autism spectrum a focused, supportive and unique area to learn.
“We feel very fortunate, and that’s what drew me. It was making a difference in children’s lives,” said Butterfly Grove Principal Diane Rosenberg.
The new school is now about three weeks into their school year. They started off with only two-hour-long days and built up to full days. While it can be challenging for anyone to adapt to a new environment, these kindergarten-aged students have performed excellently.
“We’ve been wowed by our students and what they’ve been able to do, from arriving in the morning to being involved in all the activities, eating lunch and their snack, and being outside,” said
Rosenberg.
Butterfly Grove saw an opportunity for its students alongside the NDB community.
“I want to make sure that Butterfly Grove students really are able to live what their mission is, which is to be able to ‘fly,’” said NDB Head of School Meredith Essalat ‘98.
So, how will Butterfly Grove students interact with NDB students? Once the younger ones have adapted to their classrooms, the older ones can start helping out with them.
“I’m actually super interested. I reached out to Mrs. Essalat, and I really look forward to helping out with their program,” shared senior Laila Daheb.
When Butterfly Grove first looked at the NDB campus, they saw it’s sense of community. Their goal was for their students to blend in with a larger community, and NDB is proving to be the right place.
