July 11, 2023
A special graduation at a special place – The William S. Baer School
The Baer School is one of the schools in the Baltimore City Public Schools solely committed to serving students with disabilities. Ensuring students participate in as many milestones as possible is essential to the school, which also hosted a prom this school year.
Planning for graduation starts every year in March or April, with school staff members working hard to ensure they incorporate adaptations that help their students without losing the spirit of the ceremony. Adaptations include using different forms of communication, including adult support, and keeping the ceremony shorter. Students participate in graduation practice each day in May to ensure they feel comfortable and know what to do during the ceremony. "During the practice, we use core vocabulary words as directions and use symbols they're familiar with from their regular school day," Principal Zulema Sockwell Moore explained.
Students are always a big part of the graduation ceremony. This year’s included younger students' performance of an adaptive dance, the color guard, and even the assistant emcee. There were remarks from the student advocate.
Staff are hands-on during the ceremony, with one-on-one assistance during transitions in the ceremony, such as walking, accepting their certificates, and other activities.
"If you pay attention to the little things, the big things are better," Principal Sockwell Moore said. Making sure that students have those big moments because of the tiny details is part of what makes places like Baer School so important for students with disabilities at City Schools.