Dexter High School Students Advocate for Seizure Awareness at City Hall

Earlier this month, students from Dexter High School's Peer To Peer class and High Needs Resource Room presented on seizure awareness to the Dexter City Council. DHS juniors Lydia Cebulski, Nadia Engstrom, Liam Fealy, and Kiera Frame encouraged the council to promote seizure awareness throughout the Dexter community. Their presentation was prepared with support from seniors Madison Bray and Addison Bruckman, freshman Charlie Konuszewski, and junior Madison Velazquez.

The Peer to Peer class and High Needs Resource Room take two field trips per year to City Hall to learn about and practice self-advocacy. During a prior visit, the City Council invited the students to raise awareness on topics of interest. These presentations also fulfill an advocacy and inclusion project requirement for the Peer to Peer course.

For their project, Nadia, Lydia, and Kiera created a presentation on seizure awareness, encouraging the community to prioritize education about seizures. Additionally, the students are drafting a letter of support urging legislators to pass a bill that would make seizure training as widely available as CPR and EpiPen training.

Liam, Nadia, and Lydia also presented on sensory bins, donating one to the city of Dexter. These bins address sensory needs through tools like noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys, tactile sensory stickers, and social stories. Social stories break down social interactions or events into step-by-step instructions to help individuals who struggle with social cues. Games to foster social skills and interactions are also included.

Sensory bins are currently available at several locations in Dexter, including City Hall, local sporting events, Aubree’s, Joe and Rosie’s, LaFontaine Chevrolet, and The Dexter Bakery.