Allegro School & Programs has had a profound impact on so many children, adults and families. For three decades, Allegro has provided an education as well as compassionate care and dignity to individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

​“Our son, Portland was non-verbal, extremely emotional and easily angered, disconnected and disinterested in other children and/or play. Unaware of his surroundings, he lacked skills to play with simple toys, and would cause physical harm to himself and others. He didn’t respond to his name or understand single word commands or verbal prompts. It is difficult to reflect back on those days except for the fact that Portland is a totally different child today, thanks to Allegro School.

Students and staff at the Allegro School celebrated Halloween in a very special way this year as they were joined by students from the National Art Honor Society at Randolph High School. The Randolph students worked on a volunteer project in which they created super hero capes, incorporating the first initial of each Allegro student’s first name on the back of the cape.

​Senior Alina Wolfenson found the Allegro School through a google search and suggested making the capes for the students. National Art Honor Society Supervisor, Steven Coleman suggested that they visit Allegro School to bring the capes to the students.  The Randolph students assisted in distributing and putting on the capes and joined Allegro students for the Halloween Parade around the school and the Halloween dance, setting up a hero themed photo booth, encouraging the Allegro students to interact with them and participate in having their photos taken. Asked what the project meant to her, Alina responded “I was happy to be able to give something to the kids to make them feel they can be anything they want to be, like a super hero.”

Partnering with Randolph High School was a great way to have fun, but also provided our Allegro students with the opportunity to communicate and use life skills, interacting, dancing and socializing with high school peers. “We are profoundly grateful to Randolph High School, the National Art Honor Society students, the Board of Education and Superintendent for creating this unique teaching opportunity”, said Allegro School Principal Frank Iannucci. “Partnering in this way made the holiday more special and allowed our students to interact with new friends in the familiar and safe Allegro School surroundings.”

CEDAR KNOLLS, NJ - Elementary school students at the Allegro School were excited to have a visit from Cynthia Winslow, Curator of Education and Community Engagement at Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, Morristown.  The visit coincided with students learning about honey bees, social insects that live in colonies very similar to people and communities. 

Lesson objectives included learning about honey bees and their unique role in the colony.  Students observed a honeycomb and its hexagonal prismatic cells made of beeswax as well as having an opportunity to don the gear of a beekeeper. 

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​The Allegro School’s second annual science fair was a tremendous success. With the help of knowledgeable, enthusiastic Bayer employees, parents and staff, we made science make sense for students with autism.

At our school, the goal is to provide a quality education to people with autism, to maximize their potential and help them contribute more to their communities. Our curriculum connects academic subject matter with meaningful experiences, so the hands-on nature of this science fair was perfect for helping our students achieve their goals.
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Bayer provided plenty of engaging and academic activities for the students. Challenging students with autism in different ways (for example, through sensory experiments — experiments that stimulate one or more of the five senses) helps to keep them focused.

​For example, our younger students loved the experiments with Glo-Germ, a visual tool to help promote better hand washing techniques. We had them apply the Glo-Germ gel to their hands then hold them under UV light to show the coverage. They washed their hands with soap and water and checked their hands under the UV light again to show the areas that were not washed properly. The engaging experiment will hopefully improve awareness of hygiene and proper habits.

Our older students couldn’t get enough of the Alka Rockets. They used foam cones with a film canister placed inside as the rocket. Then they filled a quarter of the cannister with water and added half of an Alka Seltzer tablet before snapping on the lid. Once they placed the rocket on the ground, all they had to do was stand back, wait for it to launch and boom! It was an instant hit. The rockets were a flashy and fun way to familiarize students with Newton’s third law of motion — for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction.

The fair was roughly three hours long and I’m proud to say that our students had only appropriate behaviors observed, and there were zero behaviors of concern during that time. We characterize a behavior as anything from a lack of connection with other people, to a repetitive motion with a random object, to sensitivity to certain noises. All of these can be challenging for parents, teachers and guardians and can create obstacles to learning. The fair was a huge success in that we were able to keep students engaged and excited. I saw students, who usually can’t sit for five minutes, not only complete an experiment but excel at it.

After the enthusiasm for science we’ve seen from teachers and students alike, we’ve decided to create a science lab called “Science Time with Steve” and make it a part of our curriculum at the Allegro School. Bayer has been integral in helping us come up with challenging experiments that push students’ abilities and show teachers what they can do. I say let the kids try. So what if they fail? We don’t learn unless we fail. That’s what science is all about.

​If you are looking for a flower arrangement, holiday wreath, centerpiece or bouquet, look no further than The Enchanted Florist at Allegro School.  This unique flower shop provides quality floral arrangements at an economical price using only the freshest flowers! The flower shop is part of the myriad of programs offered by the Allegro School allowing individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) to utilize their skills to create beautiful floral arrangements that customers have described as professional in appearance. The flower shop under the direction of Jennifer Salmon, Program Coordinator, embraces the Mission of Allegro School to provide quality services to educate and support persons with ASD.