Elena Oertwig knows many people who deserve a hand.
She was at the top of the list.
The Mahomet-Seymour kindergarten student literally received a helping hand
a few weeks ago.
Had the device for her left hand been manufactured by a faceless corporation in another state — or another country — it wouldn’t have had the same impact as it did by coming to her from a few miles away.
And, totally made by fifth-grade students at Lincoln Trail School who are only a few years older than Oertwig.
***
The 5-year-old Oertwig was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome when she was 22 months old.
Her parents, Genifer and Mark Oertwig, had suspicions that something was amiss for more than a year.
“At nine months, she was not meeting her milestones,” Genifer Oertwig said.
A year of testing confirmed what Genifer Oertwig suspected based on her own Internet research.
It was Rett Syndrome, which primarily — but not exclusively — effects girls.
“Symptoms vary from child to child,” Genifer Oertwig said. “For Elena, she is able to understand everything that is said to her, but she is non-verbal, non-ambulatory and doesn’t have functional use of her hands.”
Until this semester.
***
Chris Forman is a former classroom teacher in the M-S district and is now the M-S instructional technology coordinator for all buildings.
In November, 2016, Forman and network specialist Jared Lynn attended a Google Summit in Cincinnati.
“The presenter (Christopher Kraft) started a hand challenge with 3D printers,” Forman said. “The challenge was to download the template and mail (the completed hands) to him to send to third-world countries.”
The concept intrigued both Forman and Lynn. While helping someone in a foreign land is a laudable pursuit, they decided to make the contribution fit locally.
To accept the challenge requires the use of a 3D printer.
There was not one in the M-S district, nor was it in the budget for any of the schools.
Forman, however, purchased one for the technology department and had it stored at Lincoln Trail School.
“H.H. Gregg was going out of business,” Forman said, “and we were able to get a 3D printer and supplies at more than 50 percent off what we normally would have paid.”
***
Kathryn Rose has been a physical therapist in the M-S district since 1989.
“When I started,” Rose said, “there were two kids I serviced.”
As Forman was spreading the word about the 3D printer and helping teachers understand how to use it, he heard from Rose.
There was talk about the possibility of creating a prosthetic hand.
“Kathryn said, ‘There are students in this district who need this,’ “ Forman said.
Soon, Rose and computer science aide specialist Dayna Perkins were teaming up for a project.
***
The first step was for Perkins to gain a thorough understanding of the procedures.
She spent a portion of her summer working on a test hand, ably assisted by her incoming fifth-grade son, Bryton.
They were successful in their endeavor, proving that it could be done.
In August, Sandy Prather’s fifth-grade class undertook the task of making Elena Oertwig a prosthetic left helping hand.
“The reason I chose that class,” Dayna Perkins said, “was I knew they had a built-in helper.”
Bryton Perkins is one of Prather’s students.
***
The students’ work was done during the time they had computer lab time with Dayna Perkins.
Typically, that was 45 minutes one day a week for about seven weeks.
The process began with the students watching a how-to video.
“A prosthetic hand,” fifth-grader Emmaline Culp said, “seems complicated.”
Fifth-grader Phoebe Truax was originally optimistic.
“In the video,” she said, “it looked easy.
“When we did it, it was hard.”
***
Dayna Perkins was insistent on one point.
It would be a student-orchestrated project, not a teacher-driven project.
“I had to stop myself from stepping in,” Dayna Perkins said. “I had to let them fail until they got it right.
“They printed all of the files and learned how to assemble the hand (31 total pieces).”
Culp didn’t let frustrations affect the performance.
“There was a lot of re-doing things and re-thinking,” she said.
The Lincoln Trail students weren’t the only ones wondering what they were getting into.
“
It wasn’t crystal clear to me how fifth-graders would use a printer to make a helping hand,” Genifer Oertwig said.
***
Even Perkins wasn’t sure if a collection of students — whose average age is 10 — could handle such an assignment.
“In the back of my mind,” she said, “I was thinking this is a high school project.”
When the hand was successfully delivered, Dayna Perkins said, “it shows they are capable of more than we think.”
Seeing is indeed believing, Truax said.
“When we started, I didn’t know if a fifth-grader could do that,” Truax said.
Though the students did the work, they know they were not in it by themselves.
“We couldn’t have done it without Mrs. Perkins,” fifth-grader Lukas Nykaza said.
***
Though Elena Oertwig has both of her hands, the neurological disorder that is Rett Syndrome prevents her from controlling movements.
It’s not by accident that she was introduced to Rose and the M-S school system.
“We moved here (from Bloomington) specifically for the Mahomet schools,” Genifer Oertwig said, “especially for the special needs (programs).
“When I was growing up (in Decatur), children with special needs were not included in the classroom. They work hard at Mahomet to make it work.
“She is not looked at as different. It’s Elena. She’ll grow up with peers learning to talk and play with her in an atypical way.”
***
Rest assured, Elena Oertwig is not shunned.
“When the kindergartners go to recess, we put the (prosthetic) hand on,” Rose said. “I’ll have a line of 12 to 20 students waiting their turn to throw the ball to Elena.
“There’s never a time she doesn’t have a flock of students. I have way too many kids who want to volunteer.”
The reasons are simply explained, according to her classmates.
“It’s fun, and helping her is what best friends do,” said kindergartner John Maduzia.
“I play with her and help her catch the bean bag,” said kindergarten student Aria Alwan. “She is my best friend, but she is their friend, too (referring to her classmates).”
Mahkinnley Todd said she and other kindergarten students have been taught not to play rough.
“There’s no kicking too hard back to her because it could hit her in the face,” Todd said.
The middle child of three, Alwan is with Elena Oertwig beyond recess.
“I push her (wheelchair) and walk with her,” Alwan said.
***
Elena Oertwig’s classroom teacher, Karen Badger, said it’s a positive that
Elena is in the room throughout the day.
“She offers so much,” Badger said. “She teaches them compassion, that people learn at different levels and that everyone is unique.”
When students have a choice of activities, Badger said, “she is right in there with us, on the floor building with blocks.
“There are peers reading to her, which is a win-win for both.”
The acceptance of Elena Oertwig isn’t just while she’s at Middletown School.
“Her mom sent a note that the door bell rang and two boys (from another kindergarten class) asked if Elena could come out and play,” Badger related.
***
Genifer Oertwig said the family couldn’t be happier about the decision to relocate to Mahomet, even though both her and her husband work in Bloomington-Normal.
“The schools are so great,” Genifer Oertwig said. “They are patient with her and she is thriving there.
“They are educating the (other) kids, too.”
Elena Oertwig started at Middletown as a 3-year-old in the early intervention program.
This is her third year at the school.
At home, Genifer Oertwig has a dedicated helper. Her other daughter, 7-year-old Olivia, is a second-grader at Sangamon School.
“She is her biggest fan and assistant,” Genifer Oertwig said. “Elena adores her and Olivia motivates her. She is like a 7-year-old speech and occupational therapist.”
***
The Oertwigs have learned how to communicate with their youngest daughter.
If a question is asked, they can tell her response without words.
“If it’s yes, she looks at you,” Genifer Oertwig said. “If it’s no, she looks away.”
The answer is not always immediate.
“She needs time to respond,” Genifer Oertwig said. “That’s one thing that makes it appear Rett patients are not understanding what is going on around them.”
***
Not to be minimized is the role a classroom of fifth-graders, who made it possible for Elena Oertwig to have what is referred to as a “hand over hand technique,” that not only helps her grasp a ball or beanbag, but prevents her from continually curling her fingers into a ball.
“The sky’s the limit for what our kids can do with their creativity, and technology today,” Lincoln Trail principal Jeff Starwalt said.
“People our age would be intimidated by it, but they are eager and anxious. It’s an exciting time for kids to come to school.
“I’m really proud of what they did.”
It’s not something that Emmaline Culp will soon forget.
“I can’t wait to tell my kids when I grow up,” the fifth-grader said.
The biggest surprise of the story is the bottom line.
“What we were able to do was at a fraction of the cost,” Forman said.
“It’s so amazing,” Rose said, “that we can print a hand for $3 instead of thousands.”
As one success is celebrated, another one is coming to fruition.
Another fifth-grade class at Lincoln Trail, taught by Kari Calcagno, has finished a prosthetic right helping hand for Elena Oertwig.
“It does my teacher heart good to know that these kids are making a difference in real-world situations,” Forman said.
