Victor is a special needs student who attends Boyle County Middle School. He has mild mental delays and short-term memory loss which means that a lot of “core” academic subjects in school – like math and reading – are challenging for him. But, he excels in the arts.
His mom signed him for art camp, and came with him every night to help if he needed. For example, one night they did drama exercise where they wrote a script and performed the play all in a three-hour period. Writing is hard for Victor, so he dictated and she wrote. He had one line in the final production, and the look of pride on his face when he delivered it was incredible.
Ballroom dance was a big hit with Victor, too. His mother recently called to report that he’s still trying to teach his parents the steps he learned!
For Victor, and for a lot of our students, camp was also about community. It was a chance for a kid who sometimes struggles socially to feel like he belonged. The other campers embraced him and when they learned his birthday fell on the last day of camp, they surprised him with a birthday cake.
That is the transformative power of the arts.
