The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is a BHS club that helps to bridge the gap between special needs students and the rest of the school.

Club members volunteer with special education students during their lunch or study halls.

The club is led by English teacher Josh Davis and intervention specialist Nina Falkenstein as well as seniors Emily Einhorn and Lauren Miller.

“I am always looking for ways to facilitate opportunities for my students to engage in social interactions,” Falkenstein said.

For the past two years, CEC has gone on two joint field trips per year, bringing together special education students from the middle school and high school together with typical students from the high school.

This year, they went to Lake Farm Park in the fall and the Natural History Museum on Monday March 13.

At the Natural History Museum, students attended a demonstration about native animals of Ohio and toured museum exhibits.

“It was so much fun to see all of the animals and the CEC kids reactions to them. It was a great activity for both groups of students, and I had so much fun,” Einhorn said.

“My favorite memory from the Council for Exceptional Children was playing basketball with [a special education student who graduated last year],” Einhorn said.

“It is very rewarding when I see my students’ faces light up when a volunteer walks in the room to hang out with them,” Falkenstein said.

“I’m very proud of our CEC group members for their dedication, understanding, and natural ability to work with students who learn differently than they do,” she added.