On Jan. 13, Belleville Middle School welcomed back a former teacher who educated students about Rett Syndrome, a severe neurological disorder.

Linda Albanese visited Sarah O'Farrell's eighth-grade honors science class to tell pupils about her grandaughter, Michelle, who suffers from the disorder that affects mostly girls and leads to developmental reversals -- specifically in terms of expressive language and hand use. Albanese, who also taught at Belleville High School, shared recent studies that could benefit her granddaughter and discussed genetic engineering as a possible solution.

This tied in with the students' recent completion of a Project Based Learning activity on genetic disorders designed to increase awareness and understanding of how they affect others.