***This article was written by Addison Looney, a participant in The Kewanee Voice Student Journalism Program, funded by the Harry Anderson Memorial Trust.
The Wethersfield second grade class was recently treated to a visit by royalty. Brianna Legner, “Miss Moline,” came to the class and shared her “Wonder” presentation, the primary focus of which is acceptance of people with facial differences.
Legner, a native of Princeton, works as a speech pathologist for the Putnam County School District. She’s been sharing the story of “Wonder” with children for the past five years. She typically presents to second through fifth grade students.
“If we start at a young age then it will have a domino effect about how they see or perceive everyone,” said Legner.
The presentation, “Wonder,” is based on the book, We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio. It’s the short story of a child who has “craniofacial differences.”
The word “wonder” means something or someone who is surprising, beautiful, amazing and a marvel. The use of this word in the book showcases that everyone is a wonder and that nobody should be treated badly for being a wonder.
Legner’s presentation focuses on children and adults with facial differences and how people should look with kindness and accept people for who they are. During the presentation she showed the students some of her friends that have facial differences and explained that they might look a little different but they still do the same things we do.
“It’s important to showcase that there are people with facial differences in the world so if we ever meet someone with a facial difference that we choose to be kind,” said Legner.
Miss Moline also spoke about the pageant crown she received when she won the title. The crown she was given has four points. Each point symbolizes a different characteristic of the pageant winner.
The four points represent success, scholarship, style and service. She said she is continuing to use the service element of her title to teach children in the area how important it is to treat everyone with kindness.
