The Lower School Exceptional Children’s students recently took a fun trip to Florida and not one but two theme parks! After planning this trip for over a year–since April 2023!–the students and their parents left Rocky Mount on October 20 and returned October 26. Most kids took a plane to Florida, but others drove with their families instead and then met up with the rest of the group in Orlando.
Science was an important part of this trip. Before the class left, they spent time studying dolphins and their behavior, so they were excited to visit SeaWorld and Discovery Cove to swim with the dolphins. Mrs. Tickle states, “Our number-one objective was learning about dolphins. We talked about them everyday in our morning meeting and watched videos about swimming with the dolphins. The best thing about the trip is watching them make connections between what we talked about in class and real life.” They also interacted with stingrays and different tropical fish in one of the lagoons. Marine animals are a great introduction to science for younger children, so maybe they will want to continue learning about science.
The LS EC students also visited Disney World. The group was very fortunate to have access to Disney’s disability services so the kids were able to ride many rides and not have to wait a long time in lines. They started the day with breakfast at the hotel and then were off to the parks to explore and have fun!
They went to both Epcot and the Magic Kingdom, which was their favorite since some of the students met Mickey and Minnie for the first time! Disney movies are the students’ favorites–they often watch them after lunch here at school– so meeting so many familiar characters was very special and memorable. They also loved the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the Tron Lightcycle Run (a new roller coaster that opened last year), and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (a log flume ride that opened just this summer). Between meeting characters and riding rides, the students enjoyed awesome theme park food. Some of their favorite food included popcorn and Mickey Mouse ice cream bars. One student agrees, “It was fun!”
This trip was made possible by the generosity of school and community members. The EC program raised money mostly by selling T-shirts that included pictures of dolphins. On October 16 (so a few days before the students left town), the high school students wore their dolphin shirts to support and encourage our kids before they left on their trip. So that no student or family would have to pay out-of-pocket, our Exceptional Eagles also received donations from the Nash Autism Society and from a generous, anonymous RMA student. The school is grateful for the overwhelming support these special students received!
