[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 146 (Tuesday, October 6, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





      IN RECOGNITION OF THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AVALON ACADEMY

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                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 6, 2015

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor The Avalon Academy, a unique 
and visionary school in Burlingame, California which is celebrating 10 
years of exceptional service. The school provides educational and 
therapeutic opportunities to children with cerebral palsy and similar 
movement disorders.
  Avalon Academy was founded by two sets of parents of children with 
cerebral palsy, Annie Noonan and her husband, Jeffrey Wohl, and Lynette 
Mullens and her husband, Stephen Dilly, and a special education 
teacher, Kinga Czegeni. They were frustrated with the fragmented 
educational system for children with motor disabilities and decided to 
create a learning environment that addresses the academic, motor skill 
development, recreational, social and emotional needs of these 
students. The outcome is a beautiful school that for ten years has 
allowed the children to thrive and give their families peace of mind 
and certainty that their children are developing to their fullest 
potential.
  Avalon Academy is certified as a non-public school by the California 
Department of Education for grades K through 12. It started ten years 
ago with three students, three staff members and three volunteers. 
Today it serves 8 children and has 27 staff members. Most of the 
students have cerebral palsy. Their degree of mobility ranges from 
being able to walk with assistance to being dependent on a wheelchair. 
Their cognitive abilities also vary greatly and the faculty caters to 
their individual needs. Cerebral palsy commonly coexists with related 
challenges from communication delays, intellectual impairment, social 
and emotional difficulties and eating challenges. Traditional schools 
are mostly not specialized to meet those challenges and that is why 
Avalon Academy is so effective and essential because the school 
addresses all the needs in one location. The teachers, physical 
therapists and speech pathologists integrate movement into all 
classroom activities, no matter the level of physical limitation of the 
student. This unique approach enhances motor abilities and encourages 
the children to be as independent and safe as possible in their lives.
  I have the highest regard and admiration for the faculty at Avalon 
Academy who work miracles every day. They are led by Kinga Czegeni, the 
Head of School. She holds an M.A. in Special Education from the 
International Peto Institute in Budapest, Hungary and was recruited to 
California in 1997. Before co-founding Avalon Academy she was the 
director of Step by Step in Millbrae. She is a certified practitioner 
in the Ana Baniel Method, has worked with children with cerebral palsy 
for two decades and has developed Avalon's unique Movement Integrated 
Special Teaching System.
  The two other founders and now board members are professional women 
and amazing mothers. My dear friend, Annie Noonan, is a successful 
attorney and employment law expert. She is the mother of Julianne and 
Sam, who developed cerebral palsy after an illness when he was 14 
months old. Annie took Sam's condition and turned it into a rallying 
cry for better educational opportunities for children like him. I 
continue to be in awe of her energy and optimism.
  Lynette Mullens holds a Ph.D. and specializes in the clinical 
research and development of drugs for the treatment of neurologic and 
psychiatric disorders, including drugs that are commonly used for 
seizures associated with cerebral palsy. Her work in California with a 
non-profit that provides online access to clinical trials inspired her 
to enhance the lives of children with cerebral palsy. She is the mother 
of George, who has cerebral palsy, Fred and Harriet.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to 
honor the extraordinary individuals who founded and have run Avalon 
Academy for a decade. They provide the best education imaginable for 
children with special needs and should serve as a model around the 
country.

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