After the tragic death of their 6-year-old son Dylan in the Sandy Hook School shooting, Nicole and Ian Hockley established Dylan’s Wings of Change, a foundation dedicated to the memory of Dylan that is committed to helping children with autism and other related conditions achieve their full potential.

“While many organizations have a philosophy of inclusion, they lack an easy framework to foster awareness and acceptance of physical, intellectual, and behavioral differences to achieve a supportive environment for all,” Ian Hockley said.

Erin and Jeromie Schumacher, athletics coaches from Middlebury, joined Dylan’s Wings of Change with a program concept they were developing, titled “Wingman.”

Wingman is based on leadership principles, peer modeling, and recognizing positive behaviors in all children, according to a release. The primary goal is to recognize children for their unique and individual strengths, improving self-image and self-confidence while strengthening camaraderie and developing a stronger community. Ultimately Dylan’s Wings of Change seeks to dissolve the “us” and “them” barrier, making it every child’s responsibility to go above and beyond for one another, not just the child with differences. In so doing, all children become one another’s “Wingman,” according to the foundation.

Mr Hockley and Mrs Schumacher presented the concepts of Wingman to the Board of the Connecticut Association of Schools in February 2015 and invited schools to participate in the first wave of the rollout. Wingman for Schools will launch pilots in three middle schools in Connecticut this fall: City Hill Middle School in Naugatuck, Brownstone Intermediate in Portland, and New Fairfield Middle School in New Fairfield. Student leadership groups at each school are managing all aspects of the project supported by dedicated teachers and administration, according to the foundation.

Brian Hendrickson, principal of City Hill Middle School, said he and Mr Hockley met with student focus groups, faculty/staff focus groups, and parent groups, and received an overwhelmingly positive response to the program.

“We knew it would be a great fit,” Mr Hendrickson said.

City Hill Middle School engaged school climate consultant Jennifer Stanchfield, author of “The Inspired Educator” blog, and created a process for students to design their own Wingman activities that trained student Wingman facilitators. The school will roll out monthly “Wingman Wednesdays” starting in October. Mr Hendrickson acknowledged the enthusiastic and dedicated faculty and staff — Meaghan Banti, Carolyn Laurentis, and Joe Saverese — who are supporting the students.

“We know that the more kids feel comfortable and connected with their classmates, the more they will learn and all reach their full potential. I am confident that this program will allow something very tangible, positive, and powerful to come out of the tragedy at Sandy Hook,” Mr Hendrickson said.

New Fairfield Middle School Principal Christine Baldelli applauded the outstanding work she said her school’s “PACK” student team and teachers Joel Pardalis and Rachel Dapp completed during the final weeks of the last school year to prepare for the upcoming launch.

“Wingman has enabled our PBIS [Positive Behavior In Schools] program to expand to a new level and we are excited to be a part of this pilot,” Ms Baldelli said.

Mr Hockley said it has been an honor to work with schools to take Wingman from an idea to “something real.”

“These schools have embraced the mission of Wingman and have been working hard to tailor it to the individual needs of their student communities,” Mr Hockley said. “It is exciting to see them taking the initiative to create activities and build programs that can be replicated in schools across Connecticut. We are looking forward to seeing Wingman take flight.”

In addition to the school program, Dylan’s Wings of Change is also developing Wingman for Sports Clubs following a $25,000 grant provided by Autism Speaks. This module translates Wingman for the playing field to give coaches the framework to create the same supportive environment in their own club, according to the foundation.