Combating Autism Awareness Through A Lemonade Stand:

Hi, I'm Olivia Clark, a senior at Jamesville-DeWitt High School. For my Capstone project, I aimed to make a meaningful impact within our school community. Inspired by my sister Morgan, who helped create the first Tecumseh Learning Pad Lemonade Stand 12 years ago, I chose to expand this cherished tradition district-wide. With this, I focused on the question of how can expanding a school based initiative like the Tecumseh Learning Pad Lemonade Stand foster greater community engagement and support for autism acceptance? As part of my Senior Capstone project, I collaborated with the 12:1 (3:1) special education classrooms to broaden the reach of the annual lemonade stand. Traditionally held at Tecumseh Elementary, this year we extended the event to include J-D High School, J-D Middle School, the Transportation Department, the District Office and the CNYASA autism walk. To further support the cause, I worked with staff to design and sell special "Tecumseh Learning Pad Lemonade Stand" t-shirts and sweatshirts. We also created 3D-printed Autism Acceptance pins, with all proceeds benefiting the Central New York Autism Society of America, ARISE Adaptive Design, and Tech By Brian. This project was most definitely a collaborative effort, and I'm grateful for the guidance and support from Larry Stroh, Meg Ames, Stephanie Schellinger, and Bill Sauve, JD staff members who were instrumental in coordinating the expansion  and merchandise design. Meg Ames, the special education teacher at the Learning Pad, whose passion and dedication inspired and supported every step of this journey.