45 Stories of Inspiration: Kristen Sidman

Kristen Sidman, far left, with the APE, OT, and PT team at NECC’s Field Day in 2019.

Kristen Sidman, our Director of Occupational and Physical Therapy and Adapted Physical Education (APE), has been at NECC for over 30 years. Upon achieving her M.S. from Tufts University in Occupational Therapy, Kristen became NECC’s first onsite OT. In the ensuing years, she developed a robust instructional program and built her department to its current size with 8 OTs, 3 PTs, and 5 APE staff who are integral to our students’ programming and progress across multiple areas. This Department’s influence can be seen in more places than the gym—their curriculum and materials can be found in all our classrooms as well as in the aquatics center, lunchroom, playgrounds and in the Recreation and Leisure room. The highlight of the year is their involvement with NECC students at Special Olympics and Field Day. We are so grateful to Kristen and the entire OT, PT and APE Department for their dedication to advancing our mission.