Howard-Suamico first-grader uses wheelchair to plow snow thanks to principal's invention
SUAMICO — When the Green Bay area got dumped on with a foot of snow in January, the temperature and snow texture was just right for Nolan Ferguson to plow. But Nolan isn't your average snowplower.
He's a first-grader at Bay Harbor Elementary School who uses an electric wheelchair. When he was 8 months old, a virus attacked his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed.
The winter storm gave Nolan and his principal, Tony Ebeling, the chance to put into practice an idea they've been talking about for a year: attaching a shovel to Nolan's wheelchair so he can plow and play in the snow.
"It was just nice out, and (I) just went up to Nolan and was, 'Hey bud, let's make that plow before you go out to recess,'" Ebeling said. "He was so excited. I mean, I probably shouldn't have even told them that because like he couldn't concentrate on anything else."
A canceled meeting gave Ebeling a spare hour and a half to get a snow shovel, cut off its handle and engineer a way to strap it to Nolan's wheelchair before he went to recess.
Ebeling got the idea from his young cousin who has the same wheelchair as Nolan and is often finding creative ways to play outside.
"When his dad shot a deer, they put it on a sled and then hooked it to the back of (the wheelchair) and then he pulls the deer out of the woods," Ebeling said.
The quickly designed attachment to Nolan's wheelchair worked perfectly, Ebeling said.
"He just loved it. So his bell rang, and he didn't want to be done. And then he asked right away he's like, 'Can I do this again next time?'"
A video of Nolan plowing on the Howard-Suamico School District's Facebook page got over 900 likes and 110 shares.
On a snowy Jan. 23, Nolan donned his navy blue trapper hat and the yellow shovel to show the Press-Gazette his plowing skills. A classmate asked if he was excited to go out. He replied with a joyful "Yeah!"
Smiling and maneuvering with precision, Nolan made multiple passes along the pavement around the playground.
He said his favorite season is winter "because I can plow."
After recess, Nolan got a visit from Astro the therapy dog, a roughly 2-year-old golden retriever. Ferguson calls him "Astro baby" and even got a few licks from the furry fellow when he hopped up onto his lap to say hello.
"That's basically the first time ever he's jumped way up here," Nolan said.
With how excited Nolan was with the shovel, Ebeling is working on other attachments for his wheelchair, so he can play games like soccer or hockey in gym class.
Danielle DuClos is a Report for America corps member who covers K-12 education for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at dduclos@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @danielle_duclos. You can directly support her work with a tax-deductible donation at GreenBayPressGazette.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Green Bay Press Gazette Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Drive, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Bay Harbor first-grader plows snow with wheelchair thanks to principal
