FLUSHING — Students at Holy Cross High School in Flushing ditched their school uniforms for the day and wore T-shirts to class on April 11. But they didn’t get into trouble for it. That’s because they were doing it for a good cause.
The blue T-shirts that replaced the white, green and gray polo shirts the students normally wear were emblazoned with the words “Autism Awareness.”
April is National Autism Acceptance Month. It’s a busy month at Holy Cross High School, which has an Autism Awareness group.
Teacher-moderators Lena Spordone and Maria Nitti and the group’s 18 members sold T-shirts, organized a raffle and held a bake sale to raise money for the advocacy organization Autism Speaks.
They also sponsored a “Tie Dye” event where students dyed shirts, placed books on a prominent bookshelf in the school library with information about autism, and have led prayers every school-day morning of the month so far.
“We are so proud of these students for all of the effort that they put in,” said Spordone, who added that some of the members have relatives in the autism spectrum and look at the club as a way to educate their peers. “They have a passion for it and they can explain to other people what it’s like to live the life of someone with autism.”
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The group’s roll-up-your-sleeves attitude is what appealed to junior Anjalic Carie.
“We don’t just have assemblies. We actually have activities,” she said. “I like how we’re not only focusing on awareness, but also trying to open to acceptance, because awareness and acceptance aren’t the same thing.”
According to Autism Speaks, 1 in 36 children and 1 in 45 adults in the United States has autism.
Holy Cross’ Autism Awareness group is only three years old. It was founded by Briana Tola, a student whose brother is non-verbal. She asked Holy Cross administrators if she could perform her mandatory school service hours by volunteering at P177Q, a public school in nearby Fresh Meadows that has autistic students.
Other Holy Cross students became interested in what Briana was doing and before long, the Autism Awareness group was born. Briana has since graduated from Holy Cross and attends St. John’s University but two of her cousins, Valentina Roveto and Alessia Vitale, are active members.
For Alessia, a junior, the group is a way to change perceptions of autism.
“Just because somebody is different from the way you grew up or the way you are doesn’t mean that they’re not still a person,” she said. “They are, and they need to be viewed as that and accepted as a person.”
While April is a month packed with activity, the group works throughout the year.
Once a week, students head over to P177Q to read aloud, play basketball, and even play musical instruments for their friends at the public school.
“At the end of the day, we’re all people. And God all created us equally,” Alessia said.