The Ripple Effect

JUST ONE MILE down the road from each other in Ho-Ho-Kus are two schools. One, ECLC of New Jersey, serves the needs of students ages 5 to 21 with a range of special needs, primarily autism, Down syndrome and multiple disabilities. The other, Ho-Ho-Kus Public School, serves pre-K through eighth graders with typical needs.

You might think that despite the short distance between these campuses, students’ experiences are a world apart. But thanks to a partnership between them that celebrates inclusion, awareness and understanding, a bridge has been gapped, creating lasting and meaningful friendships and a sense of goodwill that has spread waves of pride throughout the greater community.

It’s called The Ripple Effect, a name that draws inspiration from the Dalai Lama quote: Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.

Students and staff members recently gathered at the Ho-Ho-Kus Community Garden to celebrate 10 years of the collaboration, with students from both schools singing Bruno Mars’ “Count on Me” side-by-side before helping one another plant vegetables.

“Seeing each other through eyes not blurred by preconceived attitudes, the students have created not only friendships but a mutual understanding of each other,” ECLC Principal Vicki Lindorff says.

Ho-Ho-Kus School Principal Martha Walsh added that while the schools are different in some ways, those differences strengthen the community.

“When students from both schools connect, they learn that inclusion isn’t just a value, it’s an action,” she says. “These actions are shaping a generation that sees beyond labels and embraces diversity and builds community wherever they go.”

AN ORGANIC CONNECTION

The Ripple Effect was born a decade ago, when Lindorff and former Ho-Ho-Kus School Principal Alexis Eckert had a vision to foster a bond between their students, not through academics, but through hands on activities and events to promote awareness and sensitivity to each other.

It all started with a walkathon to raise money for a playground at ECLC. Eckert, who retired from the Ho-Ho-Kus School in 2021, says she thought it would provide a great opportunity for her students to branch out from their pre-K-8 district.

“It was a beautiful day, both climate-wise and emotionally,” she says. “It was a purely organic connection—ECLC students and our students just started walking and talking together. There was a synergy that made us all want to do more. Success, smiles and subsequent planning meetings were the outcome of this initial encounter.”

The schools would partner for classroom and school-wide experiences like a pen pal exchange, an art show, a Special Olympics torch run, field day, Jump Rope for Heart, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs and a Zumba-thon.

Eckert says through its focus on Character Education curriculum, Ho-Ho-Kus would introduce a word of the month. ECLC adopted the program and word, and the students would do an activity surrounding the theme.

One month, the word was “respect,” and the students had a lively pep rally together singing Aretha Franklin’s infamous version of the song. During the holidays, it was “generosity,” and the students collected and packaged goods for those in need.

School leaders say through each project or celebration, the students learned more about each other and began to realize that while they might have differences, the desire to be treated with kindness and respect and to have fun with friends was shared.

“We know how important having a good academic program is, but how do we marry that and being a good person?” Eckert says.

“Sometimes that high level of pressure and stress to achieve takes over. But it’s programs like The Ripple Effect that ground our kids in being good people and opening their eyes to others’ experiences.”

Music has also provided a space for students to connect, Lindorff and Eckert say. The Ho-Ho-Kus School jazz band and chorus perform at ECLC’s assemblies and graduations, and the schools participate in a blended bell choir that is incredibly popular amongst students from both schools.

“The bell choir takes complete concentration for every student, and together, the members of this ensemble make it work by treating each other with dignity and compassion,” Eckert says.

LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER

Ho-Ho-Kus School eighth grader Brooke Einhorn says fostering friendships with people that might have different abilities than she and her classmates is incredibly valuable.

“There are stereotypes about what these kids can and cannot do, and they aren’t necessarily true,” she says. “They’re beautiful human beings and they can do wonderful things.”

Parent Chris Batt attended the 10-year anniversary celebration—her daughters, who have since graduated from Ho-Ho-Kus School, were part of the Ripple Effect partnership and she was on the Board of Trustees of ECLC for a period.

“It’s been an amazing journey, from a handful of students to multiple programs now between the two schools,” Batt says. “It’s clear the kids are learning from each other. My girls are still in touch with the friends they made at ECLC, years and years later. It’s a great partnership for our community, and it means so much for our family to be a part of it.”

In 2017, The Ripple Effect won the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office “Be Wise” contest for innovative school programming dealing with topical issues.

“The most predominant aspect of this partnership is how the feelings and mindsets of the students have developed and grown,” Eckert wrote in the nomination letter. “The innovations and advances between two school settings are rooted in relationships. These relationships that were fostered are solid and will remain the undercurrent for future successful learning experiences and precious life lessons.” 

Eckart noted that the benefits are mutual—ECLC students no longer worry that they may be judged by their peers at a typical school but feel accepted and like the sky is the limit; there are no boundaries. Ho-Ho-Kus School students see ECLC students as “courageous individuals and everyday champions,” Eckart says, with one student saying they “push through everyday struggles and are an inspiration.”

“Even though we go to different schools, we enjoy our times together when we visit,” says ECLC student Jaclara Goycochea. “We are friends.”

Through the program, ECLC students have also had the opportunity to work at the Ho-Ho-Kus School and will also now work from time to time in the Community Garden. ECLC stands for Education, Careers & Lifelong Community. The school has a renowned Transition Program that begins at age 14 with in-house work experience and eventually places students into actual workplaces.

Eileen Shea, the skills teacher at ECLC, said she has seen firsthand how this partnership has benefited students and is excited to have them continue their work in the garden.

“The Ho-Ho-Kus Community Garden will serve as a hub for not only growing veggies but for nurturing friendships and developing a strong community network,” she says.

Principal Walsh says that as programs between the schools continue to grow and thrive, it’s evident that The Ripple Effect is just getting started.

“Let’s continue to create those waves of growth, empathy and friendship that exist far beyond our classroom,” she says.

BY SARAH NOLAN