By Fr. Kenneth Borowiak
for the Register
The Knights of Columbus Council 11822 of Exeter, Milligan and Friend recently donated equipment to assist a local student in his learning process.
Kellen Vossler, 16, is a quiet, introspective and inquisitive young man. The son of Brandon and Kate Vossler, he recently finished his sophomore year at Exeter-Milligan-Friend (EMF) High School. He is involved in FFA and likes animals and plants – especially flowers and vegetables.
For Kellen, the ordinary means of education – desks, tablets and books – are not effective. At the age of 2, he was diagnosed with Coffin-Lowery Syndrome (CLS), a rare genetic disorder that causes cognitive and physical disabilities.
While Kellen goes to school with his classmates, he needs supplemental means for him to learn. EMF schools have striven to include Kellen as a general education student with his classmates. This kind of inclusion puts Kellen in a position to succeed. To supplement his classroom studies, EMF schools have developed an educational program that allows Kellen to develop and pursue his interests in botany in the school’s greenhouse, and animal husbandry during the summer, as he raises market hogs to show at the Saline County Fair.
Kellen also took a floriculture class with Mrs. Miranda Segner this year, in which he pressed flower frames, helped with designs for St. Valentine’s Day, created a wedding project and even a Disney character-themed funeral arrangement. He enjoys working with hydroponics, which means growing plants using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil.
“Kellen thrives in learning by doing,” said Mrs. Amy Kohtz, the FFA co-adviser and ag teacher at EMF. “By having him involved in planting and caring for plants in the greenhouse, he has learned some basic skills of plant care.
“When we have his hydroponic units running in the classroom, it is the first thing he checks when he walks into the classroom.”
EMF administrators know that students like Kellen, with higher support needs, stand to gain the most with alternative means of learning. This kind of incorporation allows Kellen to thrive and grow.
One of Kellen’s favorite activities is planting and taking care of flowers and vegetables in EMF’s greenhouse. Here, with the assistance of Mrs. Kohtz, he works in the greenhouse as part of his academic program.
In addition to taking care of plants, he has sold some of them locally and has established a banking account so he can make deposits.
The Knights of Columbus Council 11822 of Exeter, Milligan and Friend recently contributed to the EMF schools’ special needs program to assist students like Kellen. The Knights of Columbus is a worldwide fraternal order of Catholic men. One of their outreaches is supporting people with intellectual disabilities.
The Knights of Columbus has maintained a formal, organization-wide commitment to supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities for more than five decades. They have an annual drive in which donations are sought in exchange for Tootsie Rolls. The proceeds from this drive are used in local projects for people with intellectual disabilities.
Aware of Kellen’s love for plants, the local Knights decided to contribute to EMF schools for the continuation of the school’s work with Kellen and the needs of the greenhouse. The Knights also bought a hydroponic unit for Kellen’s home, where he can grow vegetables like spinach, Swiss chard lettuce and micro tomatoes. The small, counter-style hydroponics unit allows him to continue growing plants at home for his family during the summer and school year.
