Todd Teacher, Students Rally to Support 5th Grader

"Jason entered my fourth grade classroom in September of 2012 and my life has been changed ever since."

Kathleen Hall, a fourth grade teacher at Todd Elementary School in Briarcliff Manor, writes that the "hilarious, witty, sarcastic, brilliant little boy" left a profound impact on her from the moment she met him last fall.

Jason, according to his mother Laura Nadler Scott, has muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder that affects muscle strength.

Inspired by Jason Scott's positivity, Hall decided to participate in the Run for Our Sons team during the 2013 ING New York City Marathon on November 3.

In doing so, she set a fundraising goal of $3,000 to benefit Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy.

"Jason continually inspires me. He pushes himself to the limits, each and every day, despite the obstacles life may bring," Hall wrote on her fundraising page. "He reminds us that each day is a gift, and we are lucky to experience every moment. It is because of Jason that I am reminded to live each day as a brand new opportunity."

Laura said she was overwhelmed by the support her now fifth-grade son received in Hall's classroom and from his former teacher.

"She united the group in preparation for the marathon, collecting quotes, doing skits and just making the kids aware of Jason's condition as something different but fine just the same," Nadler Scott wrote in an email to Patch. "Friendship is friendship."

And even though Scott and his peers have moved up to fifth grade, they reunited the Friday before the marathon to make signs of support for Hall and rekindle the sense of empathy and compassion she spearheaded in the classroom.

According to the fundraising page, Hall raised a total of $5,038 before the race, including a special $7 that Nadler Scott came straight from her 7-year-old daughter, Olivia's, piggy bank.

"I happily cry every time I look at it," Nadler Scott said.