Sierra House to celebrate classmates on World Down Syndrome Day

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It is Crazy Sock Day at Sierra House Elementary on Thursday to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. Everyone is being encouraged to wear crazy, mismatched, silly, wild, or bright socks to school to recognize the five Down syndrome students who attend the school in South Lake Tahoe.

Not only will everyone be wearing the crazy socks, but the school will be decorated in colored paper socks.

Chris Cromwell, one of the school's education specialists, has 18 special education students and says the day is meant to help reduce the stigma and stereotypes, bringing awareness to what Down syndrome is. The other education specialists are Sarah Hubbard and Lisa Patterson, who together have 13 special education students between them. Two of the Down syndrome students are in Ms. Patterson's class, one in Ms. Hubbard's, and the other in Cromwell's class. The school also has two resource specialists (RSP) teachers who have about 20 special needs students each, Terrence Hanagan and Laura Trent.

Down syndrome is caused by extra copies of chromosome 21, the reason for having the international spotlight day on the 21st. It can be a partial or whole extra chromosome that can lead to one of three different types of Down syndrome: Trisomy 21, Mosaic Down Syndrome, or Translocation Down Syndrome.

While the whole school will be participating Thursday, several students already spend part of their days as a "buddy" to the special needs students.

Students in 4th and 5th grade, along with two 3rd graders, stop by Cromwell's classroom to pick up his students for recess, or other activities. He will also go around to the other classes at Sierra House when school begins each year to talk to students about his students to help remove the stigma and encourage more "buddies" to join the program.

The theme of the 2024 World Down Syndrom Day is "End The Stereotypes. For more information, visit https://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org/.