“The joke used to be that IHM was the best kept secret in Monona, [but] I don’t want it to be a secret,” said Callie Meiller, principal of Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) School in Monona.
“We’re doing fantastic things, and people should know about it,” she continued.
Over the past seven years as principal, Meiller has wanted to “focus on being a more inclusive environment for the [Hispanic and] Latino population and for students who have special needs” at IHM.
While efforts to create a more inclusive environment precede Meiller becoming principal, her focus on providing a thorough, all-around Catholic education for children with special needs is an initiative that she led.
IHM is a part of Wisconsin’s Special Needs Scholarship Program (SNSP) and has been for the past four years.
According to its website, the SNSP, “allows a student with a disability, who meets certain eligibility requirements, to receive a state-funded scholarship to attend a participating private school.”
The program, which has substantial requirements, has been a large undertaking but an overwhelmingly positive experience for Meiller, the school, and the children and families who benefit from being able to attend Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Originally, Meiller looked into SNSP after a parish family, who has a son with cerebral palsy, asked her to explore that possibility.
Meiller said, “They asked me to look into [the SNSP] and I did, and I thought it would be beneficial to not only their child but also to a few other kids we already had in the building that we were [serving] to the best of our ability.”
Meiller added that, “It has been nice to have families come in who didn’t think they could have a Catholic education for their kids and to see how excited they are and how motivated they are to continue to help us spread the word.”
Building special education programming
During the first year of the program, Meiller hired Jenny Baerwolf as the lead special education teacher.
Baerwolf, who had “an extensive special education background [prior to joining IHM] has been helping build the program ever since,” said Meiller.
Baerwolf said that the program has “grown and expanded as far as the type of needs go” four years in. She added that, “It’s been nice to collaborate with the teachers [in] being able to serve students more in the classroom and work together to have a lower student-teacher ratio.”
Meiller also added that every “teacher is learning a lot, to have different ways to serve students and to help them succeed . . . Even students that don’t have ‘special needs’ are growing in their learning and their friendships and benefitting from the [SNSP] program, too.”
In addition to hiring Baerwolf, IHM has also purchased specialized equipment to help better support children with special needs.
Some of the purchases IHM has made include sensory equipment like weighted blankets, headphones, a bike, swing, and sensory “pea pod” — which works like a cocoon to apply a gentle hug-like feel.
Sharing experiences, impact
Meiller shared examples of how every child at IHM is growing and benefitting from the SNSP program.
She said, “We’re all made in God’s image and we are made perfect in that image — we all have our challenges and strengths and weaknesses. To recognize those in another and love them through it and be supportive of helping people succeed, I think, is really important for kids to see.
“It’s a more real-world perspective of what you’re going to see in the world. We used to have a young man named Manny who has cerebral palsy, and he would come in and do a job in the hall. Kids would go up and high-five or give him ‘knuckles,’ [and] just promoting that every person has dignity and worth. That we should treat them as such and not ignore them, I think, is really important for the kids to learn.”
Jennifer Stapleton, whose child attends IHM, said that she originally heard about what was happening at the school through her parents.
She said, “Our son has been completely surrounded by love at IHM since the moment we first reached out to the principal.
“She [Meiller] was undaunted by our son’s medical needs and saw in him a sweet and beautiful little boy who needed a little extra help to thrive. . . What gives us great comfort is that Alex is fully surrounded by the love and acceptance of his classmates. He holds hands with a friend during circle time on the rug and dances with others during music. They greet him enthusiastically when school starts and check on him when he’s hospitalized.
Stapleton added, “Alex loves to go to school and always wants to head straight in whenever we drop him off. He’ll happily grab his teacher’s hand, and he will sometimes linger when I pick him up. IHM is a fun and exciting place to him, and he truly enjoys being there.”
The Regner family has a similar story. Their son, Eli, had been struggling in school and they were praying for friendship and community for him. After deciding to homeschool, a few months passed when they heard about IHM from a fellow friend and parent. Then, they decided to look into enrolling him.
Eli’s father Matt said, “That first meeting, I was blown away.” To understand Eli’s needs and also understand how each teacher was going to support Eli, IHM “had nine teachers in the room,” Matt continued. It was the whole-team effort that sold the Regner family on IHM.
Eli, who has been attending for the past two years, said that one of his favorite teachers is Mr. Michael Mills, who teaches music, and that he loves being at the school. He added that he especially likes science and gym class because, “I get to work with my hands” and that he “likes all the friends I’ve made.”
To learn more about Immaculate Heart of Mary School, visit st-patrick-parish.com/immaculate-heart-of-mary-school.