A Delaware educator is combining her passion for her students and the Philadelphia Eagles with a T-shirt design celebrating communication and inclusion. Rachel Heck, a speech and language pathologist at Pleasantville Elementary in New Castle, created a “Go Birds” shirt based on picture square s used by the school’s nonverbal students to communicate. The design has become a hit among school staff, and Heck is now looking into making the shirts available to the public, with proceeds going to the Eagles Autism Foundation. “I’ve been up until eleven the past few nights trying to crank out these shirts so all the staff members here have them so it takes a while,” Heck said. Heck currently makes the shirts at her parents’ kitchen table, but growing demand has her looking for another way to produce them. “We are in the works of finding some company to mass produce I do this at my parents’ kitchen table and it takes me longer than it probably should to make these,” Heck said. The design takes its inspiration from picture squares on placards and posters used by Pleasantville’s nonverbal students. Those communication tools include devices that many students carry with them so their voices can be heard. Principal Megan Nowell said the shirts reflect the school’s commitment to all of its students. “Every student that comes through our front doors is all of our kids including our non speakers our speakers and everybody. So to have Rachel make these shirts for all of us is kind of the cherry on top,” Nowell said. The shirts have proven so popular that Heck decided proceeds from their sale will go to the Eagles Autism Foundation. While the Eagles design has been a hit, Heck said some teachers have asked her to branch out to another NFC East team. That’s where she draws the line. “I’ve had multiple teachers ask me for cowboys shirts and I said absolutely not,” Heck said. The Eagles fan and her Eagles-loving school are also extending an invitation to Swoop and anyone working with Eagles Autism to visit Pleasantville and see the school’s approach to inclusion. “It makes my heart happy to see how many people here support our students with their communication,” Heck said. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less