At Wiscasset Elementary School, Occupational Therapist Amanda Fortier is revolutionizing how students learn essential life skills through creative and engaging methods. Her innovative approach combines traditional occupational therapy with school-wide initiatives that make learning fun for all students.

One of her most successful programs is the Shoe Tying Club, which she created after noticing a significant need among students. Taking the program to new heights, Fortier ordered a shoe costume, complete with laces, and embraced a Wild West theme that captivates young learners. Each student gets to choose their own special stuffed horse equipped with laces to practice at home. Thanks to funding from PIE (Partners in Education), these take-home learning tools have become a cherished part of the program. Students who master shoe tying receive a coveted shoe sheriff badge, marking their achievement. Data collected by Fortier shows significant improvement in shoe-tying skills across all grade levels since the program's inception.

Beyond shoe tying, Fortier has transformed the school environment to better serve students' sensory and motor needs. She designed and implemented a sensory hallway outside the gym, featuring a brightly decorated path where students can skip, hop, and follow patterns. This initiative addresses a fundamental truth about childhood development: children need movement throughout the day to maintain focus and reduce challenging behaviors. Teachers can now incorporate movement breaks, allowing students to use the sensory hallway before returning to class with renewed concentration.

Fortier's vision extends to the outdoors with plans for a handicap-accessible sensory garden. In collaboration with the Wiscasset Garden Club, she's designing spaces that engage all the senses: wind chimes for sound, fragrant flowers for smell, and vegetables for taste. The garden will feature raised beds to ensure accessibility for all students, though funding is still needed for this ambitious project.

Inside the school, Fortier has created thoughtful spaces for students' emotional and developmental needs. The cafeteria now features a calming corner where overwhelmed students can find quiet refuge. In her classroom, she's established practical life skills stations where students practice essential tasks like buttoning, unbuttoning, and zipping using dolls and stuffed animals after their shoe-tying lessons.

Fortier's energy and creativity seem boundless, and the school community eagerly anticipates her next innovative project. Through her work, she demonstrates how occupational therapy can extend beyond traditional boundaries to create engaging, school-wide learning opportunities that benefit all students while making skill development fun and memorable.