Taking care of special needs

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LITTLETON - In her classroom at Chatfield High School, Sharon McManus prepares her students for life.

"We just try to prepare them as best we can," said McManus.

Her students don't always have it easy. While they have varying levels of challenges, all are special needs students.

Some struggle in one subject or another. All need the extra attention to learning that McManus brings. She uses a variety of teaching techniques to help each student develop.

"I teach math using supermarket math. Stuff you use in everyday life," she said.

McManus is passionate about her students. She is also passionate about something else: her son Eddie, a U.S. Marine.

McManus's respect for the military and her desire to come up with innovative ideas to help her students learn came together in the form of a class project.

She wanted her students to think of someone else and give of themselves.

"With teenagers in general it's, 'Me, me, me. What can I get? What are you going to do for me?'" said McManus.

She wanted her students to learn about the importance of giving to others so McManus found 41 military veterans at Fort Carson facing a Thanksgiving with no meal. She connected them with her students.

The students embraced the idea and have spent the past few weeks collecting food items to fill Thanksgiving baskets for the veterans. They took that supermarket math McManus taught them and took it to a real supermarket. They came up with everything from turkeys to stuffing and vegetables and desserts. The students left nothing off the Thanksgiving menu for the veterans.

The efforts of the students will provide a tangible way of saying thank you to the veterans for their service to this country. The program will also provide the students with an appreciation of what it is like to help others who have a special need.

"To see their growth in going from a feeling where they need to be taken care of to knowing that they have the power to take care of somebody else. It is the best feeling to see that happen," said McManus.

The students enjoyed participating in the project so much they are already planning to put together Christmas baskets for the veterans next month. McManus says they will keep working to provide baskets as long as there is a need.