Legislator McCann with Jackie Bartell and his wife Kristin at the Youth Advocate Awards Ceremony
Last Thursday night was the Willie W. Lightfoot Youth Advocate and Young Citizen of the Year Award’s Ceremony at the Monroe Community Hospital. I nominated 5 exceptional young people, Cameron Knowles, Ashley Marshall, Remy Moss, Joellen Burger and Alexis Leonard, for this prestigious award. I congratulate and thank these students and their families for their outstanding contributions to our community.
I also nominated Greece resident Jackie Bartell for the Youth Advocate of the Year Award. Jackie is a teacher at the East Irondequoit Early Childhood Center (EIECC), a Monroe #1 BOCES integrated preschool program. I’ve known Jackie since September of last year – but I’ve know of Jackie since last July. She is an exceptional teacher and her ability to reach kids with special needs has earned her a well-deserved reputation among parents and the local special education community.
This week will mark the second anniversary of our youngest son’s autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. As you can imagine, this diagnosis changed our lives. Almost immediately we were faced with difficult choices we felt unprepared to make. We had to choose the type of treatment for David, interview service providers and eventually select a preschool program that best fit his needs.
We toured a number of programs and kept on hearing wonderful things about the EIECC in general and Jackie Bartell in particular. We are grateful that the Spencerport School District agreed to place David in this program and fortunate to have him placed in Jackie’s class.
Kristin and I have seen Jackie in action in the classroom as parent helpers. She is an exceptionally talented teacher who makes a difference in the lives of her students and their families everyday. David’s progress has been remarkable. While he still has a long way to go, we feel blessed to have a person like Jackie Bartell leading the team of dedicated professionals working with David.
Jackie has helped hundreds of children on the autism spectrum and their families. She is an outstanding person and very deserving of this special recognition.
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