Teacher Feature: Kelly Horvath
The Nora Project is blessed to work with incredible, passionate, dedicated educators across the country. Today, we’ll highlight one extra-special educator who was recently recognized in her school as Teacher of the Year for her work on The Nora Project.
Kelly Horvath is returning to The Nora Project for her second year as Project Leader at James Monroe School in Edison, New Jersey. We chatted with Kelly to learn more about her and this honor she received.
Tell us about your role at James Monroe, how long you’ve been in it, and what you love about it.
I teach a Self-Contained Autism class at James Monroe. This will be my sixth year. I enjoy giving my students the opportunity to do activities they may not normally do, such as Fun Food Friday and Robotics Wednesday.
I love working with my students and seeing the progress they make throughout the year - behaviorally, academically, and socially!
How did you find The Nora Project and why did you want to bring it to your school?
I first heard about The Nora Project through a Special Education group that I follow on Facebook. Someone recommended The Nora Project in response to a post asking about ideas for social opportunities for students in self-contained special education classes. Since the inception of the self-contained program at James Monroe, our students have always been included in school-wide activities such as the choir and yearly Drama Club productions. The Nora Project seemed like another way to provide a great social integration experience for our self contained students.
Tell us about your experience teaching The Nora Project.
Students and teachers have been very receptive to The Nora Project. From the very beginning of the program, even before they met their Nora Friend Groups and started planning Activity Days, the students were excited about the program and eager to meet new friends. As a self-contained teacher, I experienced The Nora Project through my self-contained students' experiences. They looked forward to their visits with excitement. Time flew when they were doing activities with their Nora Friend Groups - often they did not want to leave at the end of the visit! They returned to class talking about their friends and the activities they had done. Their friendships continued outside of Activity Days as well - students would often greet one another when they passed in the hallway. If I passed the fifth graders in the hall, they would ask how my student was doing. The Nora Project provided all students involved with a valuable social experience and the opportunity to make new friends.
Tell us about this honor, and tell us how you feel being named Teacher of the Year.
When I first found out that I had been chosen as Teacher of the Year, I couldn't believe it! It was a huge honor to be named Teacher of the Year at my school. I was nominated by my colleagues for bringing The Nora Project to our school this year, as well as for other activities and events I participate in or lead throughout the year. I helped to reimagine the School Store for our self-contained students to work in and sell items to their peers throughout the building. It has been exciting to see the impact of The Nora Project on students and the school community. I look forward to another successful school year!
Why is teaching about disability and friendship and facilitating inclusive experiences at school so important to you and the leadership team at James Monroe?
Facilitating inclusive experiences is important to our school because we want all students to feel as if they are part of the school community. We teach about disability and friendship for the same reason - so that our students understand that everyone is unique and has something to contribute.
If you’re a school staff member that’s interested in bringing The Nora Project to your school, visit the Get Involved page and drop us a line!