Crushing Perceptions

Junior faces misconceptions revolving around Cerebral Palsy

Scott Culver (11) edits his latest video project for KYOT. In spite of the physical limitations cerebral palsy has imposed on his life, Culver has found success as a video editor and sports reporter.

By Lydia Greves, Abby Prescott, Salma Schalhamer, Dillon Lewis, and Riley Wood

April 14, 2026

The hum of computers fills room A208 as students settle into their routines as they edit clips for the weekly episode of KYOT. In the middle of it all, Scott Culver (11) rolls up to his desk, ready to work. Beside him his para, Matthew Willeto, jumps into help.

Culver was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP), there are three types of CP: spastic, dyskinetic and ataxic. Scott has spastic quadriplegic spasticity,the most severe type of CP. Cerebral Palsy is a life long movement and posture disorder that happens when there is damage or developmental change within the brain that controls muscle movement.

“It hasn’t really changed my life, because CP is a lifelong disorder with no cure,” Culver said. “So I knew pretty early on. My parents told me pretty early on that I couldn’t walk. Well, not normally. At least I can walk with assistance.”

For Culver, his assistance at school includes the use of wheeled mobility and the help of a para to assist in physical school activities. Culvers para Willetto assists him during lunch and 5th period.

“There’s some accessibility stuff with various programs that he needs help with.” Willeto said. “He has his foam mouse that he can use (to edit his KYOT videos). But sometimes if he’s trying to get stuff typed fast, I’ll dictate for him.”

This year, Willeto has been with Scott since February. Over the past couple of months they have built a strong bond in both KYOT and lunch.

Classifications of Cerebral Palsy

This group of individuals can walk through everyday life without assistance, climb stairs without a railing and utilize large muscle groups used in walking, jumping and running. However, pace, balance, and coordination tend to be limited.

This group of individuals can walk without assistance in most outdoor and indoor facility settings and climb stairs using a railing however Their motor skills may be limited in performing activities such as running and jumping.

This group of individuals can walk using a handheld mobility device in indoor settings, while still being advised to use wheeled mobility in outdoor settings. They may climb up stairs while being under the others supervision in addition to using a railing for support.

This group of individuals uses wheeled mobility devices in most settings. However, with the right type of physical assistance such as a body support walker, they may be able to propel themselves in a home setting or across short distances.

This group of individuals are transported in a wheelchair in all settings. Additionally they may have trouble controlling/sustaining postures that keep their head, body, arms and legs in an antigravital position.

“It’s been really nice for both of us to have the consistency of always having lunch together, and I’m getting to know what his preferences are and what his needs are for lunch,” Willetto said. “He’s always just super fun to hang out with.”

Similarly to the way Willetto helps with activities such as typing on the computer, Cailin Nygren is also one of Culver’s paras during 1st and 7th period. Cailin helps Culver with taking notes or going to the bathroom.

“We kind of just work on things he needs to work on, math and all the subjects,” Nygren said. “He’s very, very tech savvy.”

Nygren has been helping Culver for over a year now, and over that time they have built a very special bond.

“It’s always a pleasure. We have deep conversations.” Nygren said. “We mostly talk about sports and life. He’s a very awesome individual.”

Even with Nygren’s help, Culver still finds ways to be independent and navigate his everyday life.

3 types of cerebral palsy

Spastic

Involves muscle tightness and spasms. According to the Webster’s dictionary, a spasm is an “involuntary and abnormal muscle contraction”.

Dyskinetic

Involves issue with muscle controls. According to Webster’s dictionary, Dyskinesia is an “impairment of voluntary movements resulting in fragmented or jerky motions”.

Mixed

Involves features of both spastic and dyskinetic types.

“Like a lot of them have more freedom when it comes to a social event, we try not to hover or over protect.” Nygren said. “It’s like they live their life as teenagers as well.”

Culver seeks independence and freedom in his everyday life, from his willingness to advocate for himself to his physical accommodations to get work done.

“I need to have confidence to advocate, I need to a lot more than usual,” Culver said.

With 200 million people around the world living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, misconceptions are often circulating.

“There’s an assumption that they can’t work in the industries that they want to work in, or go to college.” Nygren said. “I’ve worked with people with CP that also are non verbal, which just restricted their vocal cords, and there was a lot of frustration with that, and a lot of people assumed that they also weren’t able to think for themselves or communicate, and they had their own way of communicating”

While Scott has paras with him on a day to day basis accommodating him, there is always room for improvement when it comes to Scott’s specific needs.

“We (Monarch) don’t have people that specialize in it (CP) and there’s not a whole lot of students that have it here.” Nygren said. “I think we have really good physical therapists. I do wish he would have more physical therapy, like at the school itself. That’s the resource I wish we had more of. He could get out of his chair and do some more PT.”

For Culver, misconceptions revolving around CP are extremely common, especially within a high school setting.

“I think when people hear the word CP, they think it’s a brain disorder that makes you a little less smart, which none of the three types are,” Culver said.
The assumptions go away when people talk to him and get to know who Culver is as a person.

“I think there’s a bit of nervousness, considering I have a 515 pound chair,” Culver said. “But I think once they get to know me, they’re just fine.”

About the Contributors

Lydia Greves, Content Editor

Lydia Greves (12), is enjoying her last year as a Coyote. “I enjoy having an easy schedule, and I like the fun activities like senior pants,” Greves said. “But I will miss being close with my friends, because we’re all going to be in different states.” Outside of school, Greves likes to hang out with family and friends, and travel, with London being her favorite place. “I would definitely want to live there one day,” Greves said. “I really enjoy the vibe of it.” Greves runs cross country and track. “I’ve made almost all my close friends through it and we have a nice group,” she said. After high school, Greves dream is to study journalism at San Diego State University, and one day she hopes to “work for a magazine in London.” “Try hard, even if you don’t have the motivation because it pays off in the end,” Greves said, addressing the future yotes.

Abby Prescott, Opinions Editor

While unsure about what she may want to pursue in the future, Opinions Editor Abby Prescott (11) has many interests and passions that could lead her down an interesting path. “I wanted to be an astrophysicist, then I wanted to work in biology, then I wanted to be a vet. But then each time I had that interest, it would go away, like, pretty quickly,” Prescott said. “I haven’t really had much excitement when I thought about those things. So I kind of just got the idea when I started getting back into reading, and I actually got excited to think of my own ideas for books.” Countless teens face the conflict Prescott feels when thinking of their future and what they may want to do after high school. However, recently her love for reading has fostered a newfound interest in writing her own books. ”Obviously, I like literature, and I’m trying to write to see if I like it,” Prescott said. “So I might find out, this year and next year. I might want to go into an English type of major, but we’ll see.”

Salma Schalhamer, Social Coordinator

Salma Schalhamer (11), the social coordinator for journalism, is passionate about her role and position in the program. “My favorite memory was deadline nights,” she said. “They’re pretty fun. I would say you get a lot closer with everybody on deadline nights because you’re just working on different stuff.” While growing a close bond with her journalism community, Schalhamer has had the opportunity to meet new people outside the class. “My favorite event was one of the stories I did, which was Blanca. I had to take pictures of her for all the dress-like looks, and she dressed up as The Lorax.” Schalhamer said. Since she knew Blanca’s host sister, they were able to become close friends and have more in-depth conversations. “I knew her host sister, so we kind of talked about that, and what life was like in Spain, so it was really cool to see how different it is. And she had to study a lot because it’s different,” Schalhamer said. Journalism has become one of Salma’s favorite things about school. “It’s really fun,” she said.

Dillon Lewis, Staff Writer

It was more of a way to make friends, I feel like, because I went to Peak to Peak, so I didn’t know anyone. I came here, and I was like, I don’t have any friends. I met all my friends through football I played receiver and corner my freshman through junior year, and now I play safety. “ I like the physical aspect of it. Not a lot of sports you get to, like, hit people. I wouldn’t choose any other sport.”

Riley Wood, Staff Writer

For Riley Wood, joining the newspaper was an easy choice. “It seems like a very fun class,” Wood said. As a Freshman she is excited to contribute to social media and bring lots of new ideas to the magazine. In her free time Riley loves to hike with her dad. She is from Colorado and has lived in Louisville her whole life. She has one older sister. And when in school she likes math class, because she feels that problem solving is very rewarding.

Comments (0)

MOHI Media encourages comments from readers. Please stay on topic and keep it polite. Arguments and debate are welcome; attacks are not. Comments published on MOHImix.com or social media platforms are the opinion of the author and do not represent the views of MOHI Media, BVSD, or its employees. Commenters are responsible for the content of their own posts. Comments are moderated, meaning an editor reviews them for libel, obscenity, trolling, or other verbal behaviors that detract from the spirit of open discussion of issues. Insults, personal attacks, or attacks on groups based on culture, sexual orientation, religion, etc., will not be published. Be yourself. Comments made from anonymous, “spam,” or “fake” accounts will be deleted. We encourage you to post using your name and will confirm identity prior to publishing comments. Respect the privacy of others. Please keep comments under 300 words. Longer commentary may be submitted as a guest column or as a letter to the editor at the discretion of the Editorial Board. Writers submitting from within the BVSD network must follow BVSD acceptable use for technology policies. The Editorial Board will have the discretion to notify BVSD administrators of violations of acceptable use policies. All threats are taken seriously. If the Editorial Board and advisers are worried for someone’s safety, the comment and related identifying information will be passed along to relevant authorities and/or the school administration. Once submitted, comments become the property of MOHI Media.

Share your thoughts...

All MOHI Mix Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest