When people give of themselves, the impact can be unforgettable.

Mrs. Bonita Rouse is a special education para-educator, and students and staff talk of her unselfish nature and general kindness to those around her. For example, when Prowl adviser Mr. Vin Cappiello recently was feeling under the weather, she took his blood pressure, gave him a blood pressure cuff and also presented him with a crocheted afghan.

“I was truly touched by her kindness,” Mr. Cappiello said.

As a result, The Prowl staff took a few minutes to learn more about Mrs. Rouse.

Question:  How long have you been working in schools?

MRS. ROUSE: I have been a pera aid educator for 28 years for Park County School District.1.

Question: Where are you from?

MRS.ROUSE: Originally, Anaconda, MT.

Question: What is the best lesson you’ve learned throughout your life?

MRS.ROUSE: Do for others and don’t expect anything back.

Question: What has been the best memory you’ve had working at Powell High School?

MRS.ROUSE: The kids. Not just my special needs kids, all my kids. Because I consider them all my kids.

Question: How did you get involved in special education?

MRS.ROUSE: When I first moved here, Jim Staub asked me if I wanted to work with special needs kids, and I told him, ‘Why not?’

Question: How is your job different than what you imagined?

MRS.ROUSE: Challenges, because every day changes and you have to be very flexible.

Question:  What has made you enjoy your career so much?

MRS.ROUSE:

I guess seeing them succeed and not only in the school, but when they come back after they graduate that they’ve made something out of themselves, where they didn’t think they were going to go anywhere.

Question: How does helping the kids make you feel?

MRS.ROUSE: I’m just here, but when they come back they are somebody and that makes you feel good. To see that light bulb go on, they can be so down on themselves, but when they come back…even the brightest kids are down on themselves. To see how they have succeeded and made something out of themselves. I’ve always told the kids that I’ve inherited every grey hair on my head from them, but I love everyone of them.

Special education teacher/case manager Mrs. Michelle Bills, who shares a work space with Mrs. Rouse, also had heart-warming things to say.

“She is our right-hand woman in the Special Ed. department,” Mrs. Bills said. “ I can always count on her. She is always willing to spend the extra time with students, she is always willing to tutor. She is a lot of times here till 5:30 at night with me. She is one that stays after school a lot. She really cares about kids, she really does. That’s her main thing. She never wants to see a hungry student, she pays for students lunches at times, breakfast foods and things like that. She just doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.”