After a long hiatus due to the pandemic, a special partnership between NECC and St. Mark’s School in Southborough has made its return. This collaboration, which had been in place for several years before the pandemic, was designed to foster meaningful connections between the high school students from St. Mark’s and NECC.
“There is so much value in this program,” shared Kristen Sidman, MEd, MS, OTR/L, program director of OT, PT, and APE services. “I see what it does for our students, and for the St. Mark’s students, and it’s so rewarding.”
The program first took shape thanks to a former staff member who came to NECC from St. Mark’s. She recognized the potential for St. Mark’s students to gain invaluable experience working with individuals with special needs while providing an enriching integration experience for NEC students. This partnership was a natural fit; of the school’s 15 different Saturday Program service-learning options, the “Teaching & Learning at NECC” class has become one of St. Mark’s most popular.
“We generate a lot of interest in this service-learning option,” said Neil Cifuentes, a faculty member and coach at St. Mark’s, who served as the advisor of the fall cohort. “Students find it extremely rewarding and also fun. They love hands-on activities, and they especially enjoy forming bonds with some of NECC’s students through the various activities that they all engage in.”
Sidman shared that this program is a true peer-to-peer integration opportunity for NECC’s residential students, as they are the same age as the St. Mark’s volunteers (ages 14+).
“The older our students are, the fewer opportunities they have for true integration,” she shared. “It is very difficult to provide our residential students with integration activities on the weekends, which is why it’s been so beneficial for our group.”
During this seven-week program, St. Mark’s students spend an hour with NECC students — 30 minutes in the gym, and 30 minutes in the recreation and leisure room. For the first three weeks, NECC’s OT/PT/APE staff plan the activities, but by the fourth week, St. Mark’s students take over designing the remaining weeks’ activities.
“We want them to have the ownership and feel the responsibility of creating meaningful activities,” said Sidman, adding that the goal is to allow the students from both schools to bond naturally, with NECC teachers taking a backseat to allow St. Mark’s students to lead. “We will coach them on things and some of the challenges that our population has, but this isn’t just a ‘show up and participate’ thing; they actually have to have some thought and responsibility into planning in order to learn something.”
Sidman added that the activities are always engaging for both groups of students. Past sessions have included making Taylor Swift friendship bracelets, crafting slime, playing volleyball with a giant beach ball, parachute games, and obstacle courses. This fall, one of the St. Mark’s Saturdays coincided with a Special Olympics soccer event, and all of the St. Mark’s volunteers showed up to cheer NECC students on.
“It was fabulous,” said Sidman. “The best part of this program is that all of the kids laugh so much. Doesn’t matter if it’s a St. Mark’s kid or a NECC kid, they all are laughing and truly having fun. It’s one of the most heartwarming experiences I have witnessed at NECC.”
The partnership is equally as valuable for St. Mark’s. “This relationship is very important to our school,” said Cifuentes. “We seek to develop our students to lead lives of leadership and service, and this relationship offers our students an opportunity to serve the community in a very meaningful way.”
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of Insight.