Special education students receive the Gale Cox Memorial Service Learning Award for their superhero cape project. The students spent the year making the felt capes which will go to young cancer patients at Butler Memorial Hospital and children in the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV early intervention program.

Butler Intermediate High School teacher Janet Liese's special education classroom recently received the Gale Cox Memorial Service Learning Award for a project in which students made capes for children in need.

The award comes with $400 which goes to fund a Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV classroom's project to improve the community.

Liese's class spent the year making felt superhero capes for young cancer patients at Butler Memorial Hospital and for children in IU4's early intervention program.

She said she got the idea to do superhero capes from something she read.

“We got the pattern online and went shopping. The students traced felt, cut out felt, designed the capes, ironed on decorations and decorated them with puffy paint.”

Liese also reached out to other Butler Intermediate High School special education teachers and their classes to collaborate on the project.

“In special ed you can get in your little bubbles, and it's been great to get to know the teachers on the other side of the building,” she said.

On Thursday in their classroom, the students gave the capes to representatives from Butler Memorial Hospital and IU4.

The event featured a slide show showing the students creating the capes and a presentation explaining the process.

Dr. Wayde Killmeyer, IU4 executive director, said the program reflects the dedication of the teachers across the district.

“It's typical of what our teachers do,” he said, “and it's great to see them go above and beyond.”

The capes that are not sent to Butler Memorial Hospital will go to children in IU4's early intervention program. The program seeks to identify children with special needs so that they can begin assistance, said Killmeyer.

Any IU4 classroom is eligible to apply for the award by proposing a project to improve the community. Proposals must include costs and materials, and the awarded funds will not exceed $400. All applications must be submitted by Oct. 1.

The Gale Cox Memorial Service Learning Award was initiated in 2015 in honor of Gale Cox, a para- professional at IU4.