School for the autistic celebrates the holiday

It was the day before Thanksgiving at the Gersh Academy in West Hempstead, and the school was humming — not with the usual routine of school activities, but with preparation for the afternoon’s holiday feast.

In the gym, some children arranged utensils, while others decorated the walls with homemade paper streamers. In the basement, students reheated tasty dishes they had prepared for the 150-plus students, faculty and administrators who would attend the festivities. On the second floor, five teens reviewed a video they had created about being thankful, which would be shown during the meal.

Over the past 15 years, the event has become a tradition for Gersh students — who are all on the autism spectrum.

“Today is a big deal for the kids because they’re the ones pulling it all together,” said Principal Celeste Gagliardi. “Some of our students have sensory deficits, where too much stimulation is overwhelming. Certain smells, sitting together at a long table, and other things may be difficult for many. Putting this meal together is an opportunity for them to show what they’ve learned.”

Fifteen years ago, the Gersh Academy moved from a 15,000-square-foot location in Glen Oaks, Queens, to its current 30,000-square-foot building in West Hempstead, where students range in age from 5 to 21. The school offers two tracks: One teaches life and academic skills, and the other is for higher-functioning students who may ultimately go to college. There is roughly a 50-50 division of students in the two groups, Gagliardi said.

The five who were busy doing the final edits on the Thanksgiving video are on the path to higher learning. “Basically we asked the students different questions, like what they were thankful for,” said Dakota Gentry. “We spoke to the last class yesterday morning, and it went pretty great.”

Philip Clinton, who also worked on the video, agreed, and wanted to be sure that another student, Claire Tsanatalis, who wasn’t around at the time, received due credit. “Claire wrote all the lines for us,” he said.

Some of the older students also hold after-school jobs, like Matthew Schwartz. “I work for 16 Handles in Jericho and the West Hempstead Public Library,” he said, referring to the frozen-yogurt shop. “I operate the yogurt machine, clean the windows, and other stuff at 16 Handles, and shelve a lot of books for the library.” Matthew said he hoped to go on to college one day.

The Gersh Academy is one of seven schools for autistic students founded by Kevin Gersh. “I have a biological disorder and a learning disability, and I always felt like I was stupid because I never succeeded in school,” said Gersh, who has dedicated his professional life to changing the lives of children on the autism spectrum. “I went through seven years of college and never graduated because I was dyslexic. I could never express myself.

In 1991, Gersh founded West Hills Montessori School, and, while working with the children there, was quickly inspired by one child with autism who wasn’t learning well. “Today, my schools make rock stars out of these students, while the public schools make them worse,” said Gersh.

The faculty and administrators who run his academies, he said, are also “rock stars” who have what he calls the “it” factor. “It’s an innate ability to understand autistic children,” he said. “You either have it or you don’t, and only those who have it can find it.”