Nutley School Earns Special Education Honor

A Nutley school is one of 10 New Jersey schools recognized for creative special education programming through the 11th annual Innovations in Special Education Awards.

The Phoenix Center in Nutley located at 16 Monsignor Owens Pl., was honored for “Stretching Our Fitness Goals into the Community.”

In this program, students combine video gaming technology with exercise, according Geraldine Gibbia, school principal.

"This was an effort among our school, Volt Fitness in Glen Rock and Seton Hall University," Gibbia said in an interview. Since our inception more than 20 years ago, we always seek to do research-based, cutting-edge programs that meet the needs of students with severe disabilities."

Students pedal a stationary bicycle while playing a video game, and the game involves driving a four-wheel All-Terrain Vehicle across a challenging course, according to Gibbia. 

Students using a stair-climber march in place to the Mario Kart game, and students on a trampoline play the Wii bowling or baseball games, she said. 

Some of the other activities are a motorized rock climbing wall that continuously moves, and a giant light wall against which students reach up and tap the lights as fast as possible to obtain a high score, Gibbia said. 

Students spend five minutes in each station and then transition to the next exercise. Data gathered measures the impact of this program on individual student health, and the results in weight loss and other measures were overwhelming positive, according to Gibbia.

Currently celebrating its 20th anniversary with the last 11 in Nutley, the Phoenix Center is a non-profit special education school for students with autism and multiple disabilities who require a highly customized program tailored to their individual needs. The school is unique in its holistic approach and ability to handle each child, no matter how many challenges they face, Gibbia said.