Making a Difference A SCHOOL TO CALL HOME
Douglas participates in the school’s popular equestrian program. Betsey Grewe, the program’s director, works with approximately 110 students, who ride independently, go for carriage rides, compete, or enjoy another aspect of horsemanship.
SHARED COMMUNITY Stewart Home & School currently serves approximately 350 students between the ages of 15 and 90 from 38 states and five foreign countries. Its residents represent a wide range of intellectual abilities and interests. Some have Down syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, or cerebral palsy; others were born with less well-known conditions such as Williams syndrome or fragile X syndrome. Many come to the campus having completed a high-school
136
SPRING 2020
K KEENELAND.COM
special education curriculum and look to Stewart Home & School as the next step in their pursuit of lifelong learning. The school has no upper age limit, and some residents make the campus their permanent home. Others use the school as a stepping-stone between parental care and greater personal independence. Several Stewart students work part-time at restaurants and businesses in Frankfort, including one who just completed 10 years of service at Fazoli’s. “Our students are the most wonderful people,” said director Sandra Bell, who first joined the school’s staff in 1970 as a speech pathologist. “Their relationship with each other — their friendships and support of each other — is really at the heart of everything here.”