By Jessica Easthope

Think of all of the insignificant sounds of an elementary school classroom. Normally they fade into the background, but for Jaxon and Jace Hili, they’re amplified. 

In September Jaxon started 4th grade and Jace 2nd grade with their new hearing aids. at first it was impossible to drone out the noise – 

“The first day I got them it was hard,” Jaxon said. “I wasn’t used to them, and when you’re not used to them you can feel a little nauseous. Jace didn’t feel nauseous but I felt nauseous when I was wearing them.”

“Sometimes it’s really loud but then I go like this [adjusts earpiece] and that makes the hearing aids normal,” Jace said.

“If the person behind you might be whispering or if someone’s clicking a pen, all of those sounds are magnified and that can be very distracting especially for a child who has always heard a lot of things,” said Maura Hili, Jaxon and Jace’s mother.

Maura, is the Home Academy Association President and a lunch mom at St. Francis of Assisi. 

The year that it took from the time they were diagnosed with progressive hearing loss to when the aids finally touched their ears was a battle.

“Catching it later on sometimes I think to myself like that mom guilt what was I thinking,” Muara said. “How did I not know to pursue this further?”

But this year Jaxon, Jace, and Maura have a lot less to worry about because their teachers wear a microphone bluetooth connected to their hearing aids.

Melissa D’angelo, Jace’s teacher says at first he was resistant to the device and it took them both a little while to learn, but that’s when she put her teaching aside and relied on her faith.

“I would try and do things that would make him feel special and be fun,” D’angelo said. “I would whisper something to make sure he had it on, I know that he wants to learn he has that in him,” D’angelo said. However, I can help to do that. Sure I could have had an easier time not using it but it’s made me become a better teacher and a better person.”

Maura says all of their teachers go above and beyond for her boys.

Principal Elizabeth Reilly is new to her role, but came in making sure the Hilis would be supported in and out of the classroom, no student was getting left behind on her watch.

“Every teacher is on board, even last year when they didn’t have the diagnosis knowing the teachers, I know, they did what they needed even if it wasn’t formally on paper because that’s just the kind of faculty that we have,” Reilly said.

“I’ve changed formats of classrooms and I’ve changed personnel in classrooms to accommodate the needs. We fought for more services for her children. You know it’s very rewarding but to know the Healy family is to love them, and it would be impossible not to fight for them.”

Since getting used to their hearing aids and the microphones, Jaxon and Jace’s performance and participation have improved dramatically.

Maura can’t believe at one point she thought she might have to pull the boys out of Catholic school.

“I could take my children elsewhere where they might get an extra service,” Maura said. “Everyone’s going to learn how to read and write, add and subtract, but what else are we gonna learn? Are we gonna learn how to be kind? Are we gonna learn how to love others in ourselves and that’s hard stuff to teach? I think we get that here.”

But she knows now this is where they’re meant to be. Maura said not only do the teachers at St. Francis of Assisi use the devices happily to help her boys. They charge and maintain them and pass them back and forth seamlessly every single day.

Be sure to stay with Currents News and The Tablet for continuing coverage of Catholic Schools Week.

If you’re interested in sending your children to catholic school, just visit catholicschoolsbq.org or call 718-965-7380 for more information.

The students at St. Kevin’s Catholic Academy celebrated diversity this Catholic Schools Week.

The students from the Flushing school speak and learn 10 different languages, including Hungarian, Spanish, and American Sign Language.

Parish officials say the different dialects represent the different cultures within the church community.

The kids also celebrated recent renovations raised through a campaign by their former pastor, retired Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Chappetto.

The millions of dollars went to improving the building safety of the school. 

The kids ended the celebration by singing songs to those gathered.  

Be sure to stay with Currents News and The Tablet for continuing coverage of Catholic Schools Week.If you’re interested in sending your children to catholic school, just visit catholicschoolsbq.org or call 718-965-7380 for more information.

Multiple schools across the Diocese of Immigrants are marking Catholic Schools Week by highlighting diversity. 

At Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ozone Park, Tuesday, Jan. 30, was International Day.

Every class in the Queens school studied a country of their choice, learning and displaying every aspect of that culture through art, dancing, food, and more.

Students grabbed their passports and took a journey around the world, on Tuesday, starting with pre-K, where one classroom turned into Italy, and going all the way to eighth grade, where one class celebrated India.

Students told Currents News they were happy to learn about the different cultures.

Parents were also invited to the school to see the students’ projects.

Be sure to stay with Currents News and The Tablet for continuing coverage of Catholic schools week.

If you’re interested in sending your children to catholic school, just visit catholicschoolsbq.org or call 718-965-7380 for more information.

Kim Farula considers the students in her 2nd grade class at Midwood Catholic Academy her own children. She wants each of them to succeed.

Success is unique for 6-year-old Janessa Gittens. She’s always been aware that she learns differently than her classmates, but she’s reading near grade level for the first time.

“When we do math, I can’t read some things, I can’t read some words,” Gittens said. “But I can read some of the word, but not all of it.”

When Gittens gets overwhelmed with her classwork she cries, just talking about it can be emotional.

“I feel sad and sometimes I feel mad and I’m trying to stop, the tears just come out of nowhere and I can’t hold my tears in,” Gittens said. “I take tissues and I try to wipe my face and then it just comes back.”

“It’s really heartbreaking to see a child become so emotional and break down,” Farula said.

Farula has been practicing with Gittens how to manage her emotions in class.

But it took Farula practice too. The deep breathing exercises and affirmations she uses are just some of the strategies she learned from a special education coach.

“The coaches will actually observe her or if I want them to look at a specific student they will observe them and they will let me know as well what they need and that’s the most important thing is what a child needs in their education,” Farula said. “Every child has specific needs.”

“My job is to make them feel more comfortable in supporting the special education population in the class,” said Amy Marelli, a Special Education Coach. “Because a lot of what we’re trying to move away from is that direct, teacher-led instruction, one size fits all lesson planning.”

Marelli teaches inclusive strategies that entire classrooms can benefit from. Right now teachers in 40 Diocese of Brooklyn schools are receiving coaching services.

“They’re seeing a lot more support for a student that may not have been able to participate as actively in a lesson before,” Marelli said. “And now they have the tools and the teacher has the understanding of how to support them in their daily classroom activities.”

The look of Special Education in the Diocese of Brooklyn has undergone a dramatic change. 

This school year, Luisa Manzo was brought on as the first ever special education field representative. She’s an advocate for students with academic challenges. 

“Basically, I’m just a help. I’m a contact. I’m a partner with all of the schools just basically going in and helping them in any way I can with special education, with those needs,” Manzo said.

Individualized Education Service Plans or IESPS, occupational therapy, speech therapy and special education teachers are offered today at every Catholic academy in the diocese. 

Manzo said 10 years ago they didn’t exist.

“We want the student to feel confident, we want the student to be successful, we want them to thrive,” she said. “We look at those IESP’s and we make sure yes this is the right setting. This is the right fit. This is the right school.”

Without those services Gitten’s mom, Kristen, would have had to send her daughter elsewhere.

“When they told me that she could get evaluated while still going to Catholic school while still practicing her faith, getting the same as public school if not better, I was ecstatic,” Kristen said.

She never imagined Gittens would enjoy school the way she does today. 

“We’re doing coloring worksheets and there’s a math equation that we have to solve and I have a favorite book and it’s called the Bad Seed,” Gittens said.

“She’s become more confident,” Kristen said. “She said ‘OK, mommy. I’ll do it. I’ll try.’”

Even if she doesn’t get every problem right or pronounce every word correctly, Kristen said Gittens is succeeding, because she’s trying.

Be sure to stay with Currents News and The Tablet for continuing coverage of Catholic schools week.If you’re interested in sending your children to catholic school, just visit catholicschoolsbq.org or call 718-965-7380 for more information.

Catholic schools offer kids more than just a quality education; they give them a chance to serve their community.

At Sts. Joachim and Anne school in Queens Village, students from every grade spent their Monday morning putting their artistic skills to use, making cards for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

The school has a long history of giving back and helping in the parish’s food pantry every week and being part of the Loukoumi Foundation, which raises money to help people in need.

It’s a message that’s resonating with the students from Sts. Joachim and Anne as they send their well wishes to the kids of St. Jude.

Students also collected $450 for St. Jude. Their cards will be mailed on Tuesday, Jan. 30.