The R.A. Horn Outstanding Achievement Award

Yesterday, June 19, 2013, Alex Malarkey received the R.A. Horn Outstanding Achievement Award.

The R.A. Horn Outstanding Achievement Award is presented to one exemplary special education student from each of Ohio’s sixteen SST regions. The award was established by the Ohio Department of Education in honor of the late Dr. Raymond A. Horn, Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction Emeritus.

Dr. Horn was recognized as a national leader in the field of special education and devoted more than 60 years of service to improving the quality of life and learning for students with disabilities. He left behind both a legacy and a challenge: to ensure that every student with a disability is given the respect and opportunities they deserve.

We traveled to Columbus for the banquet where Alex received his award.

Miss Wendy Evans and Mary Lou Lange came as two of Alex’s guests, and it was such a special event to share with these two ladies with extra-large hearts.

My other three children stayed back in our home area, playing at three different houses and having a blast while we were gone.

I put together three separate videos from the day because YouTube would not allow me to upload one large video. Mary Lou did not get in front of the camera enough for me to capture a still shot of her with Alex, but she did a fantastic job behind the camera gathering footage of the event.

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This award deserves attention because there are many individuals doing far more than society might expect of them — or far more than society might have expected years ago.

It takes dedication.
It takes devotion.
It takes patience.
And it takes love.

When those things come together, great things can and do happen.

Please help others know there is hope.

The ramp was very flimsy and a bit scary so Mary Lou tried to film it. There is room for improvement in our society in the area of accessibility.






Mary Lou did have this nice picture of her and Alex:)I just missed it to put it in the video:(