PEMBROKE — On Tuesday, Hannah Holloman laughed as she watched her 8-year-old daughter Majestie Munn raise her hands as large bubbles flew around her. Majestie is one of approximately 1,600 students, teachers, volunteers and administrators from the Public Schools of Robeson County who participated in the 12th annual Very Special Arts Program at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Majestie says she is an artist and hopes to be an astronaut when she grows up, but at the Very Special Arts, the bubbles are one the many things that are nice.

“The best part was the magic man and the mask, but the bubbles were fun,” Majestie said.

Majestie’s mother appreciates programs such as the VSA because it supports her child.

“She has a vision disability … . I like to see her enjoy herself with her other classmates. She enjoyed the band today and she was dancing over there to the music, so it is nice,” Holloman said.

October is designated as Disability History and Awareness Month in North Carolina.

In 2007, the N.C. General Assembly passed legislation that created this designation in October and directed local school boards and UNC institutions to provide students instruction on disability history and awareness. Such measures include supplementing existing lesson plans, holding school assemblies, hosting disability focused film festivals or organizing other activities that incorporate individuals with disabilities or knowledgeable guest speakers from the disability community.

There are more than 3,900 children in the Exceptional Children’s program for the Public Schools of Robeson County. This month, in addition to a day of art activities at the Very Special Arts, many students also participated in the Robeson County Regional Agricultural Fair Day for Exceptional Children. For two hours, they had the fair all to themselves.

Ester Sellers brought her 4-year-old granddaughter Princess to the special day.

“She got very excited on the hobby horses. It gives her time to catch up with the other children. At night, it is very crowded, but today you can see everything. She has … hearing and vision loss,” said Sellers.

Allen Faircloth, president of the Robeson County Regional Agricultural Fair board, said the fair has hosted the event for more than 30 years for children and adults with special needs. This year, the fair hosted 4,800 exceptional children and adults from Robeson, Scotland, Hoke and Bladen counties.

“My pay for the year is seeing the faces from that day. That is what it is really about. If a child comes out and there are 10,000 people on the grounds and the lines are too long for them to get on the rides, it is hard. We also have some people who will run and be rowdy. We look at it from a safety perspective, that it is a special day for special kids and that is what we want,” Faircloth said.

For about the PSRC Exceptional Children’s program visit robeson.k12.nc.us/Domain/20

Tasha Oxendine | Students chase bubbles at the Very Special Arts Festival at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke on Tuesday. The annual festival gives exceptional children the opportunity to meet one another for a day of fun.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_DSC_0019_cmyk20151020184428970.jpgTasha Oxendine | Students chase bubbles at the Very Special Arts Festival at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke on Tuesday. The annual festival gives exceptional children the opportunity to meet one another for a day of fun.

Tasha Oxendine

Tasha Oxendine is the public information officer for the Public Schools of Robeson County.