Drew Anderson and Toni Alten-Crowe are students at Loveland High School in Cincinnati, OH. But Drew and Toni aren’t your typical students; they both have Down syndrome. Drew and Toni’s parents were determined to challenge their children and decided to explore different avenues of inclusion. As a result, Drew and Toni became two of the most beloved students in their school.
Molly Swaine is an intervention specialist at Loveland High School. After seeing how her students were positively interacting with their fellow classmates, she decided to start a mentoring internship as an elective for seniors. She expected the program to have a great impact on her students, but what she didn’t count on was the response she would receive from the participating seniors.
The seniors in the mentoring internship learned a great deal from Drew and Toni and began viewing them as their friends. As prom night drew near, they knew they wanted to make it, not just a memorable night for themselves, but also a night that Drew and Toni would never forget. The night that followed is an example of students at their very best.