Crossroads School Awards Assembly

Marlborough, MA, January 13, 2020 – How do you celebrate raising over $70,000 for students with autism? Crossroads School invited sponsors, corporate partners, vocational partners, top fundraisers, and all of their students and staff to an end-of-year awards assembly! Students helped present awards to supporters and staff, and the leadership team made a special announcement – new laptops for all Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Teachers!

Every year, Crossroads recognizes one business as their “Vocational Partner of the Year.” This award is presented to a community vocational partner that provides outstanding service and dedication to the school. This year, students David and Catherine presented the award to Molly Brodeur-Nesbitt from Al Brodeur’s Auto Body.

“Two years ago, we were lucky enough to partner with Molly,” said Ryan Palmison OTR/L, M.Ed., Director of Related and Vocational Services at Crossroads. “She has provided a wonderful opportunity to our students that ranges from folding towels to office work such as putting together thank you packets for customers. Molly has even provided our students with a work-station in her office and given them work shirts to make them a part of the Al Brodeur’s team.” In addition to vocational opportunities, Molly is an active member in the Crossroads Community and donates to various events throughout the year, including the recent #GivingTuesday campaign.

Crossroads also announced, Mark Dumas, PhD., as the new President and CEO of the organization. Dumas is a veteran in the behavioral health field with more than 20 years of experience in academics, public service, consultation and practice. He will be joining Crossroads this February.

ABA Teacher Lauren DiPillo received the Quarterly Staff Award, and Crossroads highlighted the year-round support of their corporate community, including Hero Sponsors: Definitive Healthcare, Hunneman, Middlesex Savings Bank, and Modular Concepts.

“The partnership between Definitive Healthcare and Crossroads School is second to none,” says Colin Madigan, Director of Client Engagement at Definitive Healthcare in Natick, MA. “To provide ongoing financial support to a cause such as Crossroads is one thing, but working in lockstep with them to help achieve their goals has cemented this relationship as one we aspire to achieve with all our local partners. Our employees have enjoyed each opportunity they had to engage with the school over the years. We are truly humbled and inspired by the passion we see from every staff member and sleep soundly knowing our time and efforts could not be invested in a better way.”

The assembly was originally scheduled for December 2 as a celebration of #GivingTuesday. The goal of this #GivingTuesday campaign is to raise $85,000 to bring more technology into their programs, including classroom desktop computers, iPads for students, a SMARTBoard, laptops for all ABA Teachers, and a technology fund to allow Crossroads to invest in new systems and learning tools as they are developed. The assembly was postponed due to weather, which led to one of the most exciting moments of the assembly. As the result of the successful start to the campaign, the school announced their first technology update.

“We are extremely excited that we now have work-issued laptops for each and every ABA Teacher at Crossroads,” says Development Director, Kelley Borer-Miller. “Because of support from our generous community members, we will be able to give our staff the technology they deserve!” Last week, the IT team began distributing laptops to teachers throughout the school.

The teachers at Crossroads also use technology to collect and track student progress in order to determine the best methods for education. “Every two weeks, ABA case managers review their students’ programs and evaluate whether they are making progress,” explains Education Director Lindsay Roberts, M.Ed, BCBA, LABA. “If not, they reach out to related services providers, classroom supervisor, and lead teacher to notify them of what programs are not progressing. From there, we try to find ways and adjust as needed for the student so that we can meet the goals of their Individualized Education Program (IEP).”

Staff had been relying on shared classroom computers or their personal devices to complete their job responsibilities.“Many of the devices were incompatible with one another, making it more difficult for staff to share information, collaborate, and use standardized school-wide systems,” says Roberts. “We’re so excited that by the end of the month everyone will have work-issued laptops!”

“Since our first #GivingTuesday in 2015, the Crossroads community has put SMARTBoards in every classroom, helped build a playground, installed the Prozinski Family Sport Court, and put more resources in the hands of our exceptional educators and clinicians,” says Borer-Miller. “This support helps students master educational and vocational objectives, achieve therapeutic goals, and keeps them on the path to independence.”

For students with autism, technology is an integral part of learning. More than 60% of students at Crossroads use devices to communicate with their teachers and family members. Others use visual schedules to manage their routine, and almost all of the students enjoy earning “iPad time” as a positive reward for staying on task.

SMARTBoards in the classroom keep lessons engaging and interactive, allowing students who are non-verbal to communicate the information they’ve learned. Recently, a grant from Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation allowed them to add a SMARTboard to the music room. To meet the increasing demand for their specialized services, Crossroads plans to open a new classroom later this year, equipped with a SMARTboard, desktop computers, and iPads, all funded by this campaign.

Crossroads School is still hoping to reach their goal of $85,000 to bring more devices and technological advancements to their students and staff. Learn more or donate at www.crossroadsschoolma.org/givingtuesday

About Crossroads School

Crossroads School was established in 2002 with a mission to provide individualized, comprehensive education and related services to students with autism, ages 3-22, to enhance the quality of life and independent functioning so they may reach their full potential. Crossroads School’s Related Services Department includes Speech-Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy. Crossroads also provides Consultative Services to other organizations and home and community-based services to Crossroads students and individuals with disabilities. Crossroads students and clients require highly individualized curricula to meet their educational and behavioral goals. All instruction and programming are based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), the scientifically validated approach to understanding behavior and how it is affected by the environment.

Crossroads School moved to Marlborough in 2017. Since moving, Crossroads has experienced tremendous growth and success. Enrollment has grown from 55 to 68 students. The Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce recognized Crossroads as 2018 Business of the Year. To learn more about Crossroads, visit: www.crossroadsschoolma.org.

About #GivingTuesday

Every year, individuals around the world celebrate #GivingTuesday by coming together to celebrate generosity and to give to non-profit organizations and charities. The holiday takes place the Tuesday directly after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. After almost a week of indulgence, non-profits around the globe ask individuals to spend a day giving back. Learn more at www.givingtuesday.org