by Moira Cullings
moira.cullings@theleaven.org
LENEXA — Olivia Connealy was a typical first grader at Holy Trinity School here when her life changed at the age of 6.
“She had a seizure in the middle of the night that ended up depriving her brain of oxygen and causing an anoxic brain injury,” said her mom, Amanda Connealy. “She subsequently ended up with a lot of deficits out of that.”
Olivia is now nonverbal and visually impaired with limited mobility. She has refractory epilepsy and deals with multiple seizures a day.
So, the moment she came out on stage, with help from her paraprofessional Alyson Menjares, for Holy Trinity’s eighth grade musical was exceptionally special.
“When we allow students like Olivia to be part of the community,” said her mother, “then, we are truly closer to the kingdom of God.
“We’re learning how to accept each other, how to communicate with each other, how to love each other.”
Called to respond
After Olivia’s seizure happened in November 2017, she didn’t return to school because she was receiving inpatient care and subsequent intensive therapy.
In fall 2018, Amanda and her husband Casey realized their daughter would need more help than Catholic schools can typically offer students with special needs due to a lack of funding.
“So, we did enroll her in the public schools,” said Amanda. “But it was really important to me and my husband that Olivia remain part of the community because those peers knew her and those were the friends Olivia had.”
Moreover, her siblings also attended the school.
Over the past seven years, Olivia has spent two afternoons or mornings a week at Holy Trinity for general education integration and social interaction.
“Even though she’s nonverbal and has a pretty flat affect, we always assume that she knows everything she knew when she was six,” said Amanda, “and, of course, can learn new things.”
Her teachers have often saved special occasions like class parties for days she was at the school, and she’s been able to attend field trips and participate in all-school Masses.
Liz Minks, assistant principal for grades 4-8, and other Holy Trinity staff have attended IEP (individualized education program) meetings with Olivia to keep up on her progress.
Events like the “Walk With Olivia” fundraiser that the community held for Ability KC, where Olivia was receiving therapy as she was relearning how to walk, stick out to Minks.
“She was bringing the community together, starting way back then,” said Minks, “and I often wonder if she knows how much she has meant to all of us.”
“She’s a beacon of hope,” added Minks, “and her family’s love for her is something so beautiful and intense to witness.”
Time to shine
Music teacher Katie Dahlstrom was eager to include Olivia and each of her peers in this year’s eighth grade musical, “Beauty and the Beast, JR.”
“We always try to pick shows that we feel like all of our kids can be successful in,” said Dahlstrom. “So, picking a show where we could thoughtfully and intentionally include all of our students was a top priority.”
The eighth grade musical is “a landmark tradition” at Holy Trinity, added Dahlstrom, and this year was its 25th anniversary.
“As a teacher, I think it empowers kids to feel like they are competent, that they are problem-solvers, that they can do hard things, and is a nice cap on their fine arts and technology education here at Holy Trinity,” she said.
The proceeds from the musical went to EMBRACE (embraceks.org), a nonprofit that collaborates with the archdiocesan schools office to provide grants and assistance to schools like Holy Trinity so they can support students with disabilities and learning differences.
EMBRACE also offers scholarships for Catholic school teachers to earn a master’s degree in special education.
For Amanda, seeing her daughter in the musical was emotional.
“We were a part of this class in one capacity, and now we’re part of this class in a different capacity,” she said. “So, to see her peers growing and doing different things that we’re not doing at this point has been difficult.”
Although the help of her classmates has been crucial to Olivia’s success at Holy Trinity, Amanda said their friendship is even more important.
Classmates like Brynn Walters, who befriended Olivia after her seizure, have made all the difference.
“Although she can’t talk, it feels like me and her have a really special connection,” said Walters. “I understand her. She understands me.
“I can tell what she’s thinking just by her body language most of the time. It’s meant a lot to me to have a friend like her.”
Mission accomplished
Olivia’s presence at Holy Trinity wouldn’t have been possible without Menjares, who will stay with Olivia as she moves on to attend St. James Academy in Lenexa, which has made strides in recent years to implement special education.
“For me, it’s been a blessing,” said Menjares. “I feel like God put me in this position to help her. I don’t ever feel like it’s hard.”
Amanda said Menjares has fit seamlessly into Olivia’s life at school.
“It’s a beautiful pairing,” she said.
“I think it’s easier for [the students] to not see [Menjares] as a teacher or a grown up,” she added. “They really do see her as an extension of Olivia.”
Principal Scott Merfen said the fruits of Olivia’s time at Holy Trinity have been abundant.
“I think with all the younger kids that come in, it’s helped them understand that even though there’s a lot of differences in different people for whatever reason, we’re all still God’s children and God has a plan for us,” he said.
“They see that she has a purpose, and they love her and they want to help her,” he continued. “She’s just an inspiration to a lot of our kids and our staff.”
Olivia’s graduation will be bittersweet for Merfen, who has been at Holy Trinity since this eighth grade class was in kindergarten.
“She’s not someone who will be forgotten,” he said. “You can bring her name up to pretty much anybody from our kindergarten on up, and they’ll know who Olivia is and [will] want to hear about how she’s doing in high school.
“She’s always going to have a special place with us.”
