Paralympian Trevon Jenifer spoke to fifth grade students at Persell Middle School via Zoom in connection with a story on wheelchair sports. Jenifer has earned two gold medals in Rio and Tokyo at the Paralympics in wheelchair basketball.

A guest appearance by a paralympian aimed to help bring one classroom story to life recently at Persell Middle School.

Persell fifth graders had the chance to Zoom with and ask questions of paralympian Trevon Jenifer following a study of wheelchair sports in their English Language Arts curriculum.

“Students learned about wheelchair sports, how the chairs are designed for people with disabilities and they also learned about how the Paralympics started,” said Jill Smeraldo, a fifth grade special education teacher.

The story, “Wheelchair Sports: Hang Glider to Wheeler Dealer,” was made available to students using the new Houghton-Mifflin-Harcourt literacy curriculum adopted by the district last school year. The story told how Marilyn Hamilton’s life changed forever after a hang glider accident left her unable to walk and the development of a lighter, speedier wheelchair.

“The essential question was, ‘What kinds of circumstances push people to create new inventions?’ said fifth grade teacher Mindy Trapani. “Wheelchair Sports showed the students one reason to invent is to solve problems and help people with disabilities.”

“Students had lots of questions about the new wheelchair’s design,” said Trapani. “We were hoping that students could make a personal connection about how someone with a disability uses a wheelchair, and the benefits of using specialized wheelchairs while playing sports.”

Jenifer recently appeared in-person in Chautauqua County during a motivational program for students at the Northwest Arena. A graduate of Edinboro University where he played wheelchair sports while studying criminal justice, Jenifer has earned two gold medals in Rio and Tokyo at the Paralympics.

He shared his story with students during an October assembly and went on to answer questions from the fifth grade students.

“Trevon Jenifer delivered a motivating message to students: No matter what obstacles you face in life, you can overcome them through perseverance, hard work, and commitment,” Smeraldo said. “Students had the opportunity to personally ask questions that remained after reading the story. This helps students make personal connections to what they are learning in the classroom.”