Rock Hill principal sets example for all educators

Belleview Elementary School Principal John Kirell has done something remarkable. He has helped create an environment for special needs students at his school that could serve as a model for any school in the nation.

Kirell recently was named principal of the year by the S.C. Council for Exceptional Children. The honor is well deserved.

Kirell began what turned out to be a tumultuous but rewarding spiritual journey for himself and his whole staff by questioning why special needs students had to move so often from one school to another. He decided to ask Rock Hill school district leaders if Belleview could be the site of several self-contained classes for special needs children.

His hope was that those children could stay at the school during their elementary years instead of switching schools every few years. He believed that asking this group of students to attend three different schools before they leave elementary school was something not asked of the rest of the student body.

He argued that establishing more classrooms at his school for children with varying degrees of special needs would give them and their families more stability and better outcomes in the students’ learning experience.

“Kids deserve to look back and say, ‘That’s where I went to school,’” he said.

The change wasn’t easy. Kirell concedes that “we had a very, very hard first year.”

Every teacher at Belleview received training in how to accommodate special needs children. The school had to learn to deal with children ranging from those who eventually could transition to regular classes to the profoundly disabled.

But Kirell never regretted the decision. And he proudly notes that students at Belleview have had the experience of helping and befriending special needs students that those who attend other schools have not.

Kirell also has earned the gratitude of the parents of special needs students who appreciate being able to send their children to the same school throughout their elementary years. Parents also appreciate the high level of training for Belleview teachers, whether the teachers are directly involved in the special needs programs or not.

Belleview now is home to nearly 50 special needs children in four self-contained classrooms. A fifth special needs classroom is to be added in the fall.

Kirell said he shares his principal of the year honor with teachers and many others who have helped make this program a success.

But Kirell is the one who was inspired to open Belleview’s doors to these exceptional students; he is the one who had to motivate his staff to take on this challenge; and he is the one who had to lead during the difficult first transition year for the school.

Finally, he is the one who richly deserves this recognition. We hope he serves as an example to his peers and that they will choose to emulate his desire to improve the educational opportunities for special needs students.

This story was originally published March 5, 2016 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Rock Hill principal sets example for all educators."