To celebrate #DevelopmentalDisabilitiesAwarenessMonth, we’re giving a #SuperSchoolShoutout to Oak Grove Elementary School and Firwood Secondary School paraeducator Kierya Ellis and social worker David Gillum.
Kierya joined the Oak Grove/Firwood team in 2009 because she wanted to support students who have overcome obstacles that she can relate to in her own life. “I have a connection with these kids,” she said. “I love being here.”
Students who attend Oak Grove/Firwood need more support than is available in traditional classrooms and Kierya is one of the many important educators who provide that support. “I help them transition from places that may not have been successful for them to our school so that we can help them be successful,” she said.
Kierya is proud of herself for persevering through obstacles she’s faced in life and uses her own journey to inform how she supports students. “It’s all about relationships, spreading love and understanding that not every child is the same,” she said. “Each kid has a place in this world.”
David joined the Oak Grove/Firwood team in 2019 and brings his passion for helping others to work each day. “My job is a cross between a school counselor and a therapist,” he said. “My favorite parts of this job are my coworkers and my students who I care about a lot.”
David supports IEPs, provides direct counseling and also teaches classes. “Many of our students have unique needs and may have trauma that is important to support them through,” he said.
David instills students with the knowledge that they can achieve anything they put their mind to. “I have ADHD myself, so when my students feel like their disability will hold them back, I can point out that I have the same diagnosis as a lot of them and that their disability is not a sentence,” he said. “It’s just something to work around.”
Go Falcons!