News and Events

On Saturday, March 25, New Story Schools' Indiana, PA campus helped take families around the world during their annual Family Fun Fest! Indiana County invited companies and organizations to set up tables throughout the Indiana Mall and were assigned a country. Families were encouraged to “go around the world” and visit every country in a scavenger hunt-like activity. The result was hundreds of people visiting the Ivory Coast and learning more about New Story Schools!

New Story Schools team members manned the table and set up a jungle-themed sensory walk. Children would line up and hop, spin, jump, and tiptoe their way to the finish line. Upon reaching the finish, they had a chance to spin a wheel and win a prize! This included smiley balls, star-shaped stress balls, frisbees, Pop It keychains, and hand sanitizer (which caused many kids to go back in line and test their luck again!). Throughout the entire day, kids would see the sensory walk stuck to the floor and immediately form a line to have some fun and win a prize.

Many parents recognized the New Story Schools name and inquired further about how the school supports children and young adults with autism, emotional or behavioral challenges.

Rebecca Compardo, the Clinical Director at the Indiana campus, helped man the table throughout the event alongside Special Education Director Ashley Lawson and Special Education Supervisor Megan Huntington. When asked about what the Family Fun Fest is about and why New Story Schools Indiana attends it every year, Rebecca said, “The reason for us being here is because it brings us into the community. This is one of the largest community-wide events for children and families in our area. We serve these kids and their families, so it is important that we are here to support them, so they remember who we are. And for the families who don’t know who we are, this is an opportunity for them to ask questions about our services and program. With that, maybe our reach can grow from this experience.”