Spaulding Academy was in the spotlight before more than 4,000 special educators from around the world at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) 2025 Convention in Baltimore in March 2025. Principal and Director of Special Education, Garrett Lavallee, and Lead Behavioral Analyst, Tom Benjamin, presented “Spaulding Academy Choosing Love: Addressing Complex Special Education Students through the SEL Lens” at a standing-room-only breakout session.
“It was a competitive process to be selected as a speaker, so we were honored to just be able to present. To fill the room and have people watching from the hallway was incredible,” said Garrett.
The presentation emphasized the importance of humanizing education and taking a person-centered approach to support both staff and students. Research has shown that the staff’s Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is a key indicator of student success. Garrett and Tom reinforced this research with data from Spaulding showing reductions in restraints and an increase in academic performance as a direct result of embracing Choose Love and creating a safe, loving, nurturing environment for all on campus. For many audience members, Garrett’s and Tom’s presentation was the first time they had heard of the Choose Love Movement, and they were eager to learn more.
The Choose Love Movement’s formula is: courage, gratitude, forgiveness, and compassion in action. At Spaulding this means that every person needs to feel safe, nurtured, and love for them to heal, grow, and be the best version of themselves. In 2024, Spaulding became the first nationally certified Choose Love campus.
Spaulding staff members Bridget Desjardins, Stephanie Capen, Gina Wheeler, Charles Suter and Tammy Champine joined Garrett and Tom at the conference and were on hand to answer questions after the presentation. “As principal, I am surrounded by brilliant people who have so much to share. It was powerful to have a teacher from our team answer questions from teachers in the audience and our School Social Worker share tips with others in a similar position,” commented Garrett.
After the presentation, conference participants frequently stopped the Spaulding team to ask questions, and two exhibitors said that attendees had told them that the presentation was their favorite offered at the three-day conference. School districts continued to reach out after the conference to learn more about the Choose Love curriculum and connect with the Choose Love program.
Garrett, Tom and the Spaulding team are justifiably proud of their presentation at the CEC Convention. Garrett still marvels at the experience, saying “It was pretty incredible to represent our little school on a hill in New Hampshire and share the magic that’s happening on our campus in front of a worldwide audience.”
