Schools
Whiz Kid: Highcroft Ridge Student Honored as 'Special Ambassador'
Owen Benben strives to include special needs students as active participants in the classroom.
Owen Benben is a normal fifth-grade boy who plays hockey, baseball and video games, but his commitment to classmates with special needs is extraordinary. The Special School District (SSD) honored Owen with the Special Ambassador Award on at their annual SSD Salutes Banquet on March 2. The award is given to an individual who demonstrates extraordinary commitment to students or staff of SSD.
“I was very honored to be chosen for the award. Only one child gets the award,” Owen said. “Kids with disabilities are no different than any other kid. They just need help and they shouldn’t be treated any different.”
Owen, who attends , was nominated for the award by SSD language pathologist Janet Gleason and SSD paraeducator Marynel Collins. In their nomination, the educators praised Owen for “acting as a true friend and advocate for others.”
Find out what's happening in Chesterfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“We would like to thank the teachers at Highcroft for enabling Owen to grow in this way,” Chris Benben, Owen’s mother, said. “His dedication to others goes back to being with special needs children all through school. His teachers would ask him to help, encouraged it, and it became natural to him.”
Owen assists his special needs friends in many ways. He partnered with a classmate in a wheelchair for a recent dance activity in gym class. He spends time recording phrases, including the national anthem, into speech devices for students who can’t speak. During a class trip to Junior Achievement’s Biztown, which allows students to participate in a simulated town, Owen made sure his friend had a chance to spend money earned during their work session. He didn’t have time to spend his own earnings, but Owen tried to make the event special for his friend.
Find out what's happening in Chesterfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“Owen sets an example and helps his typical peers learn to be inclusive and accepting,” Gleason and Collins said in their nomination. “He offers ideas on how to include special needs students in class activities. He has the patience to allow those with special needs to communicate, no matter how long it takes. He is a leader among his peers.”
Owen is the son of Todd and Chris Benben of Chesterfield.