Photograph by George Sakkestad
Adrienne Stacey, an eighth-grader at C.T. English Middle School, will be honored for being an inspiration to others.
By Shari Kaplan
Although she enjoys her classes, her friends and her position as student office assistant at C.T. English Middle School, eighth-grader Adrienne Stacey may be thinking of other things come May 10.
On that Friday, Stacey will be honored as a Youth of the Year at "A Celebration of Courage: The Timpany Center Awards."
The annual gala recognizes two youths and two adults who live with disabilities and whose lives are inspirational to others. One business and one nonprofit organization also receive recognition for helping people with disabilities reach their potential.
Stacey, who was born with spina bifida, has not let the spinal defect keep her from her potential. Using two specialized canes to help her walk, Stacey traverses the school campus like anyone else, participates in modified P.E. activities and enjoys walking her third-grade neighbor David home from school almost every day.
"I'm real excited. I thought it was fun being photographed and interviewed. I love the publicity," Stacey said of her status as Youth of the Year. She also said she was "pretty surprised."
Her nominator, C.T. English resource specialist teacher Cathleen Novak, nominated the 13-year-old Los Gatos girl because she sees how Stacey handles her physical challenges with a sense of humor, a helpfulness toward others and a self-reliance that makes her much more the same, rather than different.
"In a world where a young woman's self-esteem is so tied to [her] outward appearance, Adrienne shows us all that who you are in your heart is far more important. . . than any face or body could be," Novak wrote of Stacey. "She has, through her determination and active participation in all school activities, demonstrated how wonderful and limitless our lives can be."
Stacey's current courseload includes English, history, science, math (her second favorite), creative arts ("it's the easiest and most fun!") and P.E., in which badminton is one of her favorite sports.
She also volunteers in the school office, where she answers phones, makes photocopies, writes passes for late students and other assorted duties. Her favorite parts of the job, she said with a giggle, are the privileges of buying sodas from the office vending machine and using the photocopier.
Stacey said although there are some students who criticize her--through their looks or their words--for being different, she pretty much ignores it. One boy in particular, she said, seems to enjoy calling her "crippled"--definitely a misnomer for people like Stacey.
"I just deal with it. I'm friends with people who are friends back," she said.
Although she hasn't yet decided what career path to follow upon graduation from high school, Stacey loves to sing and act and said she may find her future in the entertainment field. She is also considering veterinary work; ever since the family dog Maggie got hit by a car and recovered, Stacey has been interested in animals and their care.
"A Celebration of Courage: The Timpany Center Awards" will be held May 10, 8 p.m. at Flint Center in Cupertino. Tickets are $25 (main floor), $17 (mezzanine) and $12 (balcony). Proceeds benefit San Jose's Timpany Center, a nonprofit facility providing aquatic/physical therapy and rehabilitation services for individuals with physical, mental or emotional challenges. For more information, call Flint Center at 864-8816 or the Timpany Center at 295-0228.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, May 1, 1996.
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