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Cotting-Annual-Report2020-Preview COTTING FORWARD COTTING SCHOOL: ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD... EVEN DURING A PANDEMIC 2 | COTTING SCHOOL 2020 will be remembered as an unforgettable time in history, a global pandemic, racial reckoning, economic uncertainty, and unanticipated challenges for schools. We are grateful to our extraordinary faculty, staff, and community members, who have persevered during a public health emergency this year. Our success story is the transcendent and incredible spirit of the Cotting community! We have become experts in implementing our highly specialized school program and support services during a global pandemic. We are proud of the unrelenting spirit and determination of the entire Cotting community. This year we learned to meet goals in new and different ways. Classrooms were remote for a brief period of time before our safe, supported return to school. Traditions and celebrations took new forms. A parade of Cotting vans and vehicles took to the roads of Massachusetts for the 2020 graduation celebration. The car parade drove to the homes of each member of the class of 2020 for a unique outdoor celebration with parents, staff, and neighbors cheering. Our Admissions team offered virtual tours and opened up a new online platform of Cotting Conversations and the Advancement Department held its first ever Virtual Trivia Night Fundraiser. Many long-standing traditions that have served us well were put on hold or adapted in ways that were more fitting and creative than we could have imagined. Cotting is a leader in special education. We provide options that break down barriers to learning for students between the ages of 3 and 22. Through our day school, HOPEhouse, and Cotting Consulting, we demonstrate responsive support for students. Even through the pandemic forces of remote learning (for a period of time) we remained nimble and responsive, safely returning to in-person options for our students and their families, as quickly as possible. Through technology, partnerships with parents and school districts, and our spirit to go above and beyond, we have supported students in reaching their highest potential even during the most challenging times. Thanks to you, the Campaign for Cotting School, our first in 30 years, has raised more than ten million dollars. Our dream to build Cotting’s new Campus Center is a reality. As I, David Manzo, look forward to retirement in September 2021, I am proud of where Cotting stands today with its expanded facilities, technological advancements, a successful transition to our new leader, Bridget Irish, and our commitment to excellence. Cotting’s future is bright! Rooted in our values and our 128-year history, we are proud of the ways Cotting adapts and evolves, always anticipating the needs of our students. We are grateful for your ongoing support and commitment to Cotting School. Thank you for being a part of our community. David Manzo Michael Durkin, Chair President Board of Trustees 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 3 When remote school became a reality for the campus vaccine clinic to our typical and complex communication safety of students and staff all over the world, demands. And yet, we found time to engage in exciting strategic Cotting School, HOPEhouse, and Cotting Consulting adapted planning discussions to define short- and long- term initiatives to quickly to reunite with students in new ways. Whether online move Cotting FORWARD in the most thoughtful way. or in person as soon as we believed it was safe to do so, we continuously delivered the highest level of service possible. Our While we will not soon forget the challenges we faced as a school focus on our relationships with students drove our commitment community this year, we can unequivocally confirm that the to schedules filled with class activities, lessons, one-on-one and Cotting community transcends physical space. This community’s small group sessions with teachers and therapists, social time, commitment to each other, and to excellence in special education, movement breaks, and more – we continued to educate and make me honored to be selected as the next President of Cotting engage our complex learners and to offer specialized resources School. Throughout my fifteen years at Cotting I have developed to the broader special education community. a profound respect and admiration for our faculty and staff; their dedication and skill is both inspiring and humbling. I am We worked closely with our partners at the Department of grateful for the continued leadership, guidance, and engagement Elementary and Secondary Education and the Massachusetts of our Board of Trustees. I am moved by the tenacity and positive Association of Approved Private Special Education Schools. With attitude of our students. I am enthusiastic about what lies ahead their support and guidance, we led the way back to safe and and am ever grateful for the support of our greater community of productive in-person learning and we were proud of the callout Falcon supporters and friends. from our State’s Governor that we were setting high standards and achieving success in serving students and families through one of the most challenging times in the field of education. More than ever, this was a year of collaboration. Faculty members Bridget Irish leaned on and learned from each other. We worked closely with Vice President & families, our medical and therapy teams, as well as health and Chief Operating Officer safety experts. We layered on attestation forms and virus contact tracing, the capacity for on campus rapid testing, and a full For seventeen years David Manzo has served as only the 6th President of Cotting School since its founding in 1893. Cotting School has the great fortune that for fifteen of those years, Dave and Bridget, his successor, have worked in close collaboration on many key leadership accomplishments which include: • Curriculum, therapeutic and educational • Major initiatives which have services improvements through nearly established the Dorothy Pace Assistive two decades, most notably in the area of Technology Center, Connelly Field, the educational technology. Burr Fitness Center and a successful • A Cotting Consulting team established $10 million dollar Capital Campaign to provide technical assistance to which will result in a 25,000 square teachers and direct care to students in foot campus center scheduled to open more than 30 school districts. in August 2021. • HOPEhouse, a transitional 5-day boarding program on the campus of Thank you for your dedication to Cotting Cotting School, opened its doors to School, Dave! We wish you the best. serve young adults with special needs. 4 | COTTING SCHOOL THE COTTING WAY Often heard on campus, the phrase “The Cotting Way” speaks to the sense of community promoted not only by highly specialized curricula and program offerings, but also through experiences that stretch the boundaries of a typical school experience. Always growing and evolving, Cotting's Curriculum of Services include Cotting’s Day Program for students 3-22, HOPEhouse boarding options for young adults ages 17-22, and support for students of all ages in school districts throughout Massachusetts through Cotting Consulting. Cotting staff and students exemplify The Cotting Way. Individualized learning and unique experiences that thrive at Cotting drive each student’s education. Students and staff use a wide range of strategies and tools to overcome barriers to learning and connect with one another. Dedicated to creating superior, highly specialized programs that simultaneously allow individualized learning and unique experience that differentiate the Cotting School experience. At Cotting many educators, therapists, medical professionals and administrators demonstrate dedication and commitment that are consistently at the highest level of excellence. Every so often a staff member becomes a larger than life hero in the lives of students, families, and their colleagues. For more than two decades Ms. Birmingham has exemplified The Cotting Way; she is the picture beside the definition. Known by students and her colleagues as Ms. B, Ginny, or Coach Birmingham. Ms. Birmingham's skill and leadership have been consistently enhanced by her gentle presence and wonderful sense of humor. Whether you are present in a Cotting classroom, witness a therapy session, visit HOPEhouse, join a parent group, attend any Cotting event, or converse with a member of Cotting’s leadership team, we know you experience The Cotting Way. 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 5 WELCOME TO COTTING WHERE CONNECTION TRANSCENDS... During a time in which we were spending so much time at home and reliant on our families, Cotting families were invited to campus for distanced outdoor family photo sessions to document this period. Students enjoyed unmasking with their families, who shared thoughts about what it is about Cotting that helps them or their student move forward. "Every morning Savina has what she calls her 'morning routine.' Each thing she does requires total assistance; making her bed, getting dressed and having breakfast. She looks forward to this each morning and feels a sense of accomplishment. As she leaves the house in her chair, one of the questions she always asks me is, 'I wonder what I will do in school today?!'" – Althea and John, Savina’s Parents "Robert’s academic skills have grown a tremendous amount, especially time management, money, math and reading. His comprehension has made an enormous improvement!" – Kate & Robert, Robert’s Parents 6 | COTTING SCHOOL "My proudest moment at Cotting was being elected Senior Class President. I feel truly confident in "Benjamin entered Cotting with myself now, knowing this hesitancy, which quickly dissipated was something I was able in the warm embrace of this nurturing to accomplish." school. Teachers and therapists handed him the seeds of hope and – Ben, Class of 2021, encouragement, helping him grow Senior Class President through successive achievements." – Gloria, Ben’s Mother "Before coming to Cotting, Shane had such a protective shell that was really hard to crack.
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