The Options Program at St. Paul VI Catholic High School began as a dream in 1998 for three families who were frustrated with the limitations their children with special needs were experiencing in the public schools. Twenty-five years later, the groundbreaking program at Paul VI is a model and inspiration for Catholic schools across the nation, having spawned 350 similar programs.
Options was commemorated January 28 at Paul VI, with a 25th anniversary reunion and Mass celebrated by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge. Leo Alonso, a founding member of Options, noted that the program is based on the simple concept of inclusion. “The whole school atmosphere here, and in all the schools where we have Options, is that they’re included in everything,” he said. “One family whose son went to St. Luke’s last year said for the first time he had been invited to birthday parties with other students, and he’s in fifth grade, so he had been five years in school without ever getting a birthday invitation.”
Tim McNiff, Arlington diocese superintendent of schools in 1998, remembered that the administrators at Paul VI had a compassionate vision and the implementation of that vision was key. “They took that classroom and put it in the middle of the school building, not off to the side,” he said. “They made sure all the kids wanted to be part of this. My own kids felt it was an honor to be selected as a mentor. The culture that they built to make this work is what I think made it sustainable.”
Roxanne Miller said fostering relationships with other students is what makes Options a blessing for her daughter Megan. “The program is second-to-none,” she said. “The most important part is the dignity that’s been given to her and that we all deserve.”
The experience for Christine Waldrop’s daughter Avery has been life-changing. “The inclusivity she’s been able to have in this environment has been hard to replicate,” she said. “Between the Special Olympics, choir, homecoming, prom, it’s just been amazing.”
In his homily, Bishop Burbidge said Options is an example of the “Gospel of Life and the firm belief and steadfast conviction that God has created all of us in his image and likeness – that his Holy Spirit lives, breathes and dwells within each one of us, and that all human persons, as children of God, are endowed with an inherent dignity that is to be respected and celebrated. Thus, the Options program makes no distinctions – all students at PVI are provided the means to achieve spiritual, intellectual and personal development according to the teachings of the Gospel. As I often say, this is a model for schools across the country and I am so proud it is being carried out here in our diocese, at PVI, with such excellence and distinction.”
Six students entered Options in 1998. There was one teacher, a part-time aide and a part-time director. Sixteen students are enrolled today with eight full-time teachers and a dean of exceptional learning. Course offerings have expanded beyond basic core classes to include post-grad skills and electives such as music, art, band, theology, and internet programming. Each Options student is assigned a mentor student.
Ava Gron has been mentoring students with special needs for two semesters at Paul VI. “It’s like a big family,” she said. “I’m really happy that I go to a school that has this and I feel honored to be a part of this program.”
Mentoring for two years changed the way Evelyn Federmeier sees the world. “I’d never worked with children with special needs,” she said. “It really opens your eyes to see how wonderful, how talented and how unique they are.”
Joy was evident in the smiles, hugs and laughter all around. “Every single person that came here today is the success of all 25 years,” said Dr. Adam Bigbee, dean of exceptional learning at Paul VI. “This moment is proof of God’s love, his power, his mercy. To truly include means to stretch emotionally, spiritually, academically – to help them be the best they can possibly be. We’ve got to push the envelope and make sure that we are training and making them to be well rounded and responsible adults – that’s the whole point.”
Some students in Options have gone on to college. Anne Alessi Nuttall’s daughter Meghan graduated from Options in 2021 and now attends the College of Charleston in South Carolina. “We didn’t think college and that kind of a future was an option for her, and we came here, and her life changed,” said Alessi Nuttall. “They believed in her in a way, and they structured an education program for her in a way that we couldn’t get anywhere else. It gave her the confidence and the courage to push herself beyond the boundaries she knew she had, and she’s still doing that and it’s mind-blowing to us.”
Options is now in all four diocesan high schools and 16 elementary schools, but helping students with special needs doesn’t end at high school graduation. Porto Charities supports the diocese by helping students leaving Options to find job training and employment. Twenty-three students have found jobs in the last two years. “It’s amazing for them to go out and get a job whether it be five, 15 or 20 hours a week – to actually get a job is so self-rewarding,” said Tony Stafford, vice president of Porto Charities.
Avery Waldrop, a student in the Options program, captured the spirit of the day when describing what it’s like for her to be part of the student body at Paul VI. “I feel safe,” she said with a big smile, “and it makes me feel like I have a big family.”
