The Special Education Department Rocks the “Yes I Can” Awards

The annual “Yes I Can” awards were hosted on Jan. 26 at D219 Bridges Center. Bridges is a D219 school where students with special needs can go after graduating from Niles West or Niles North. This is an award ceremony that honors students with special needs in Illinois for their growth through the Council for Exceptional Children. 13 schools and 29 students were involved in this event. In order to win, students must be nominated by a teacher. This year, Niles West senior Isabella Dillon and junior Ricky Riley were both nominated by one of their teachers, Leonore Moran. 

Dillon was nominated because of her talent and hard work in the Art Skills category. At Niles West, the students with special needs have a class called Arts Appreciation, which is where they experiment with different art forms. Dillon has been a lead in several plays at Niles West. This December, she starred as Anna in Something Like Frozen.

“Bella was Moana her freshman year. She was the lead part as a freshman and she killed it. After she was a freshman, we went into COVID but she still was a shining star when we would do our arts stuff online. And then, her junior year, we did the Beatles show and we based it [on] her love of the Beatles. This year she was one of the leads and she helped tell our version of Frozen. She always steps up to the plate. She shows her personality through how she performs. She always shows all the kids who didn’t know what to do how to do it,” Moran said.

Riley was also nominated in the Art Skills category. He worked alongside Dillon as Kristof in Something Like Frozen.

“Ricky is one of our other leaders who just shines through. He helps lead class every day,” Moran said.

Special Education teacher, Shaun Kennedy attended the event in order to support his students.

“Attending the event was awesome. It’s great to see so many students in the area with special needs being honored at an event like this. Students have put in a lot of work this school year so this additional recognition is not only great for the students but also great for their families,” Kennedy said.

Dillon and Riley were both very excited to win this award. Their families attended the event and Dillon and Riley got to see former peers who graduated from Niles West, such as Will Schejbal.

“I’m very proud of Ricky and Bella for all the work that they’ve done in the Arts Appreciation show. I’ve got to watch them since their freshman year grow and become great actors and actresses. It’s really great to see all the progress they’ve made over the years within the Arts Appreciation program,” Kennedy said. He has been by Dillon’s side as her homeroom teacher for the last four years.

“We couldn’t even have Arts Appreciation program without Bella and Ricky. It was my pleasure to honor them bot,” Moran said.