For most, the school day is spent in classrooms learning and building friendships. But for Blue Valley West senior Joseph Svoboda, the school day is anything but typical. Balancing multiple roles inside and outside the building, Svoboda sets himself apart as both a student-athlete and a paraprofessional. Though he spends his day in the classroom, he holds different roles than most students.
At the start of his senior year, Svoboda was inspired by his younger cousin, who has autism, to explore becoming a paraprofessional when he wasn’t in class. Svoboda served as a peer mentor his junior year in the LIFT (Learning through Intensive Functional Teaching) program, which serves students with communication and behavioral needs, and got to experience being around special education students daily.
“I’m happy to have such a unique opportunity,” Svoboda said.
When the opportunity to become a paraprofessional presented itself, Svoboda, with the support of Blue Valley West assistant principal Bryan Brutto, took on the unique role of becoming both a staff member and student within Blue Valley Schools.
“This is the first time I’ve had a student take on a paraprofessional role like Joey has,” Brutto said. “It’s a unique situation that worked out because Joey was ahead on credits and had the right kind of passion and maturity for the role. He’s truly made an impact.”
The classroom isn’t the only place Svoboda has been able to make a difference.
Svoboda started his athletic career at West as a star soccer player. His talents expanded to the football field before the start of his junior year, where he was the kicker for the last two years of his high school athletic career. Throughout his time at West, Svoboda and his teams celebrated regional championships in both soccer and football.
“He’s kind of a quiet leader but a very passionate kid,” said Blue Valley West Head soccer coach Kyle Conley. “Joey was our starting goalkeeper and a huge influence. The kid can punt the ball about 80 yards and throw it about 60 yards. He controlled that box.”
The same leadership and composure Svoboda displayed on the field extends to his role as a paraprofessional. Svoboda credits much of his success in the role of a paraprofessional to the guidance of his teachers.
“It takes a lot to be a special education teacher,” Svoboda said. “There are a lot of moving pieces all at once. It’s either a really slow day where you aren’t doing much, then two seconds later, you could be dealing with six students at once with behaviors, along with your own teacher responsibilities.”
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