By LIAM BELAN
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For the third year, Belle Vernon Area’s Sensitive Santa event provided a calm environment for children with sensory issues to enjoy some time with Santa Claus.
Held at Rostraver Elementary School Wednesday night, the event is reserved for children with sensory integration needs and their families.
The spots filled up quickly, as 41 families were provided with an inclusive and accommodating environment to take in the holiday cheer and meet Old Saint Nick.
The initiative has been led by Tiffany Jamieson, the district’s administrative school psychologist, since its inception, adding features and tweaks to every iteration while maintaining the same safe, friendly and accommodating environment. Jamieson admitted that she isn’t the one that came up with the idea initially, but the current state of the Sensitive Santa event is a testament to her and many volunteers’ hard work.
“About 10 years ago, I was the intern at South Allegheny School District, and they hosted the event there,” Jamieson said. “Christy Chicklo is the school psychologist there that I worked under, and it was her idea. For a while, when I got my job here, I went and volunteered with her. Then, finally, I asked her if we could steal her idea and try to get some people from this area because she was mostly seeing people from Allegheny County.
“I really wanted to bring it to our district, so I had the idea from there and I asked my coworkers for help, and everybody showed up and did it for the kids. Each year, we’ve kind of grown and made it our own experience.”
Now, the event features three Santa’s in different rooms that all allow for children to spend time with him while becoming comfortable with their surroundings. As an alternative to crowded lines and rushed talks with Santa that children might get at a mall, individual time slots allow families and children one-on-one time with Santa that makes it truly special.
During the event, Santa’s were seen reading stories, doing puzzles and taking pictures with children.
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