The public is invited to a forum on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 7pm in Wellesley High School’s auditorium to hear students’ perspectives on concussions.
WHS senior and varsity athlete Ian Ettinger, with the technical help of fellow senior Chris Coddington, has interviewed and filmed many WHS students who have suffered from one or more concussion. Their stories will be shown in the video, which will also make its way to Wellesley’s local cable channel and become available on DVD.
Neurologist and concussion specialist Dr. Stuart Glassman will also present information on concussions and Dr. Neal McGrath, neuropsychologist and developer of the IMPACT test, will speak about accommodations to support affected students.
For more info, please contact Ian at ilettinger@gmail.com
The project hatched from the minds of WHS vice principal Lynne Novogroski, trainer Patty Hickey and nurse liaison Shari Johnson who suggested that while much is known about the impact of concussions on athletes, teachers might not always be aware of the challenges injured students face. Some students might have difficulty with math and others with analyzing literary themes while injured, but some teachers might think students are faking their problems to get away with lighter workloads. Students say they want to get on with their work, recognizing that their academic records could be tarnished.
You might wonder whether this concussion presentation is Ettinger’s senior project. It isn’t, and he’s thinking of doing something of a less heavy nature for that.
