Easterly Parkway student surprised with Disney World trip
If you have any burning questions for Mickey Mouse, relay them to Camryn Shomo.
On Friday afternoon, the 10-year-old student from Easterly Parkway Elementary School found out that she and her family were headed to Walt Disney World.
The trip comes courtesy of a gift from Pixie Dust Wishes, a nonprofit that sends children with disabilities to the house that Walt built.
“It’s so awesome that Camryn is being recognized for who she is and that means the world to us,” her mother, Rosanne Shomo, said.
Camryn has an intellectual disability know as Glass syndrome. She’s non-verbal and communicates using a mix of sign language and an iPad.
It’s so awesome that Camryn is being recognized for who she is and that means the world to us.
Rosanne Shomo
It was her personality, though, that got her on Pixie Dust’s radar.
“Camryn is such a loving and happy child who is very social — she always wants to surround herself with her peers. She brings a smile to everyone’s face with her joyful presence,” Monica Wagner, a fifth-grade teacher at Easterly Parkway, said.
Wagner has watched Camryn struggle to broaden her vocabulary and fine motor skills, but has never seen the student’s enthusiasm waver.
Camryn is such a loving and happy child who is very social- she always wants to surround herself with her peers. She brings a smile to everyone's face with her joyful presence.
Monica Wagner
She co-nominated Camryn for the Disney trip alongside learning support teacher Courtney Scheuchenzuber.
“Camryn is so loved at Easterly Parkway and will be missed when she leaves our school at the end of fifth grade,” Wagner said.
Jaimie Miller, Pixie Dust Wishes’ president and executive director, was overjoyed to be sending the Shomo family to Florida.
Since the nonprofit was founded in January, Miller and company have arranged Disney trips for three local children within the community.
Friday marked the first time that Miller had a personal connection to one of the recipients. Her daughter, Emma, was born with Down syndrome and met Camryn in Wagner’s class at Easterly Parkway.
The two became fast friends, a feat that Miller said can sometimes be hard for children with disabilities.
“It takes that extra effort, that extra time,” Miller said
Frank Ready: 814-231-4620, @fjready
This story was originally published November 3, 2017 at 6:38 PM with the headline "Easterly Parkway student surprised with Disney World trip."