If you remember what it was like to have visitors at your school when you were a kid, then you probably understand how kids at the Giant Steps school felt when three guys showed up Friday morning for their last day of school before the Holidays.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” beamed 12-year-old Julian Ouimet.
They were professional boxers who, principal Seiun Thomas Henderson says, just wanted to show their support for the students.
“They wanted to support the cause so they were interested in visiting the school so we said, why not?”
All three are friends, two of whom recently moved to the city. The third, Arthur Biyarslanov, who competed for Canada in the last Olympics will move here in January.
“The kids might feel sometimes that they’re left out and stuff, so that’s why we came here to give them attention, so that they feel good about themselves, so that they know that we love them,” Biyarslanov said.
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Giant Steps is the only private special education school dedicated to helping students living with autism in Quebec. It was founded 40 years ago making them one of the first autism specific schools anywhere in the world.
TThere are 90 students enrolled in our elementary and high school program here,” Thomas Henderson said. “As well as 12 other students in our adult education program.”
Friday’s event is the kind of thing teachers do every year for the kids. Though children on the autism spectrum like routine, he says once in a while they do enjoy out of the ordinary activities.
“For kids on the spectrum, I mean like any kid, they love the holiday season so, we try to do things in a way that’s adapted to their needs.”
For some kids, like Ouimet, the fact that the boxers took time to be with them when they could be doing other things, really moved them.
“That’s really nice of them. Because they have so much money to spend usually they just wanna use it on nice things and stuff.”
In his eyes, at least, they are superstars.
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