Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 1995, Page 221

Description:	A I 1Julie WilliamsKim WilliamsMicah WilliamsRachel WilliamsNathan WilliamsonJared WilsonGraham WindsorShara WinklerJimmy WonderMatt WoodardChristie WoolseyScott WoottonTammy WrayAmy WrightJennifer WrightJulie WrigleyAdam YostEric YoungIsaac ZullHarvey DelucaShaun HussOvercoming The OddsThe accidental shot rangout with a crescendo of raw soundthat echoed throughout the house.In that instant, Ben Jones wasparalyzed, possibly permanently.He has embarked upon new paths,fraught with medical challenges,barriers to be met and changearound every corner.Ben, a freshman, has metthis deluge with courage,adaptability, and an indomitablespirit that has endeared him to hisfellow students and teachers alike.The bullet went into thefront of his neck and out the back.His spinal cord was not struck;however, fragments of bone flewinto the cord paralyzing Ben fromthe waist down. According to thedoctors, they could have tried towork on my spinal cord but thejugular had been cut and they wereconcentrating on sewing it up,Jones said.After recovering fromthe accident, Ben returned to hisstudies at Batchelor MiddleSchool. When the time came toenroll in high school, decisionshad to be made. BloomingtonNorth was built after the advent ofhandicap laws and was completelyaccessible in all areas to a studentin a wheelchair. Ben realized thatSouth had no elevator and thatthere were going to be problemsgetting around. He didnt care; Ipicked South because it is close tomy house and I didnt have todrive across town to get here, hesaid. More importantly, all of myfriends were going to South.Bens parents contactedprincipal Dr. Mike Riggle. Dr.Riggle was most helpful and whenBen told him that South was theonly place he wanted. Dr. Rigglesaid that South would be proud tohave him as a student, saidDebbie Jones, Bens mother.What sets Ben apartfrom other South students is hiscommitment. None of us canimagine his daily routine and whatit takes to bet ready for school,said Riggle. Ben has a reallygood attitude and he nevercomplains about having to wait atthe stairs or any other delay whichconfronts him. When one looksat these things one can understandthe commitment he has made toattend school, be with his friendsand be a part of BloomingtonSouth, Riggle said.Although South doesnot have an elevator, I am able toget around just fine, Ben said. Aspecial device, Garaventa Stair-Track crawler, was purchased bythe school. The machine holdsBens wheelchair and goes upand down stairs on tractor liketreads that look like bulldozertracks.Ben relates the scariestthing that ever happened waswhen we had to evacuate thebuilding because of the lockerthat caught fire. My friends inclass just picked me up and carriedme down the stairs. That was theeasiest and most fun way I evergot down the stairs.Although thewheelchair is now a part of Benslife, it hasnt slowed him down ordampened his plans for the future.He plans on attending college andbecoming a stockbroker. I wouldhave liked to be an Indy car driveror a soccer player, but now all Ican do is watch. Ill just have tomake money some otherinteresting wayALBUM/221
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/4902
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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