Girl Scout’s stars are special needs kids

Richard Tedesco

Emma Parente said she hoped to become a dance teacher one day who includes those with special needs among her students.

But the Kellenberg Memorial High School student has moved that goal from the future to the present by creating a dance program at the St. Aidan School for special needs children as her Girl Scout Gold Award Project.

“I love working with special needs kids. They’re always very sweet children,” she said. “At a private dancing school, I have been assisting in a special needs dance class for a few months to help prepare,”  

Emma, who is the daughter of East Williston Deputy Mayor Bonnie Parente, will be offering the dance classes to special needs girls age seven to 12 during the week of July 21. 

She said she already got experience assisting in teaching special students at Hannah Kroner Dance School in Albertson.

Instructors at the St. Aidan Dance Academy, she said, have volunteered to assist her with her  program there. 

Emma is currently a teaching assistant for two classes at the St. Aidan academy, and also teaches a ballet class there on Wednesdays.  

A member of East Williston Girl Scout Troop 1283, Emma will be a sophomore at Kellenberg in the fall. 

She said she has her sights set on teaching dance as a career.

“I want to be a dance teacher when I’m older. And I definitely want to teach special needs children how to dance,” she said. “It’s challenging, but after one of two classes, the children get what you’re doing. There’s a lot of repetition.”

Emma earned their Silver Awards with a presentation at East Williston Village Hall last summer intended to build awareness about disabilities such as Tourette’s Syndrome. Much of that presentation comprised her own story of being afflicted with physical tics, which did not escalate to Tourette’s Syndrome. 

Her week-long program at St. Aidan will be held in the Convent Music Room from July 21 to July 25. 

On Monday and Tuesday classes will held 3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Wednesday, 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.; and Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. She said she may also teach a second week of classes at St. Aidan for the Girl Scout Gold Award.

Emma said getting to do the class was a time-consuming process. 

She said she first had to develop a proposal for the dance program that was presented to Girls Scout leaders and then prepare for the five hours of classes she will teach.

She said a parent or guardian must be present during the class. 

Parents and guests can attend an open class on Friday at 10 a.m. to watch the children dance. They can register their children for the dance classes by writing to Church of St. Aidan’s, c/o Emma Parente at the Rectory, 505 Willis Ave., Williston Park, N.Y. 11596 by July 15. 

Parents can email questions to Emma at: EmmaParente@Verizon.net.

Share this Article