In recognition of Autism Awareness Month this past April, Lynwood Avenue Elementary School fourth and fifth grade students gathered for a heartwarming assembly led by a pair of Lynwood alumni. 

Ryan Faivus and Sean Schneider, current seventh grade students at Sagamore Middle School, visited the school to share details of their friendship. Ryan is a student with autism who was befriended by Sean, who overlooked their differences and focused on their similarities, which built a long-lasting friendship. 

As Sean spoke to the Lynwood students, he reiterated the importance of not judging a book by its cover and that a lifelong friendship can start with something as simple as a hello.