Special Needs Teen Plays A Real Drum Thanks To Plano High Schoolers
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PLANO (KRLD) - In the band room at Plano Senior High School, Tess Gregorek tilts her head to push a button on the side of her chair. The movement causes a drumstick to tap out a rhythm on a snare drum.
Tess, a seventh grader with cerebral palsy, is playing a real drum for the first time.
"She's always loved music," says Tess's mom Ann. "She's learning to compose her own songs."
Until now, Tess has participated in band class at Haggard Middle School by using a drum app on an iPad hooked up to her chair. Ann thought there had to be a better way.
"Sometimes the technology doesn't work, or there's a substitute teacher who doesn't know how to hook up the iPad," she says. "I wanted something old school. Like a mechanical arm that can hold a stick so she can bang on the drum."
Ann's older daughter is in Deb Strecker's engineering class at Plano Senior High. She asked for help, and the engineering club answered the call.
"We were already looking for ways to do community outreach," says Christiaan Adriaanse, a senior at Plano and the club's president. "I thought, what better way to learn about engineering than helping real people solve real problems?"
After a few months of work, the club came up with a device that they presented to Tess, Ann, and their family.
"It works like a key fob that locks and unlocks your car," says Adriaanse. "We attached a drumstick to it, and the whole thing can be plugged into Tess's chair. When she hits the control button on her chair, the stick hits the drum."
Tess's family looks on proudly as she tries out the drum with encouragement from Plano band students.
"It's just so cool," Ann says. "The biggest thing is sharing her with the world and letting people see that someone who's different can still participate in normal activities."
The students strike up a round of "Jingle Bells". Tess accompanies them on the drum.
Adriaanse watches, proud of his club's work.
"There were some long nights putting this together," he says. "This makes it all worth it."
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