Graduates at Fairhaven School presented custom letterman jackets

Known for helping students with developmental disabilities reach their full potential, Fairhaven School in Niles had one of its largest graduating classes on Friday.

"For the students at Fairhaven School, there's been a lifetime of small victories that help them reach a day like today," Stephanie Champlin, Executive Director for the Fairhaven Foundation said. "From walking, learning how to talk, gross motor, fine motor, it's truly a lifetime achievement for them wrapped up into one day."

Aside from receiving their diplomas, the 8 remarkable graduates also got a surprise gift.

The Fairhaven Foundation presented the graduates with custom letterman jackets, complete with their name, the Fairhaven "F" and graduation year.

"The idea was just inspired by me being a parent purchasing a letterman jacket for my son that is in another school district and I was thinking about the students at Fairhaven School and was wondering if they had the opportunity to have letterman jackets and as the Executive Director of Fairhaven Foundation, I wanted to make sure that every student had the opportunity to experience that rite of passage and have a commemorative gift for all the hard work they have done at Fairhaven School," Champlin said.

The jackets were funded by the Fairhaven Foundation which assists families that are served by the Trumbull County Board of Developmental Disabilities, with the work being done by S&T Engraving in Poland. The students and families had no idea they were getting them.

"They're so nice, they are beautiful jackets, we're grateful," Julie Bieber said.

The jackets carry a much deeper meaning that mere fabric and embroidery. They serve as a symbol of the students achievements and dedication throughout a challenging academic journey.

"For Gage and from attending this school for 22 years, he's been coming here since he was nine months old, it means everything," Bieber said.

"I think sometimes for our families, because there are extraordinary challenges that we face, there are some other things that we don't think about as part of that process and something as simple to the rest of us as a letterman jacket is a really big deal for our families," Champlin said.

A big deal that these graduates won't soon forget.

This was the first year the Fairhaven Foundation has provided graduates with letterman jackets. They plan to make it an annual gift.