When Johanna Pontillo makes her once-a-month trips to Atlantic City, she always “bets the max” on the casino poker machines.

Students at PS 811, a District 75 high school for special needs students in Bellerose, Queens, wowed classmates, teachers and families on June 12 at their Fashion Avengers Fashion Show, where many of the outfits they created were made from recyclable materials.

Students at P53K @ Spring Creek Community School in Brooklyn performed “Willy Wonka Jr.” for an audience of 300 on May 8.

United by a bright blue ribbon that extended the length of their lineup, students from PS 372 @ M 113 in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, circled their school block during their second annual Autism Awareness Parade on April 30.

Desiree Mark has worked for nearly 30 years at the Lawrence Avenue school of ADAPT Community Network, formerly United Cerebral Palsy of NYC, working with children whose medical, cognitive, emotional and/or physical needs require a more restrictive setting than a public school. Since 2003, the UFT has represented ADAPT employees, who now number more than 900 at schools and residences citywide.

PS 9 on Staten Island transformed part of their first-floor hallway into a sensory pathway that can settle kids down and is particularly helpful for students who may need a break and redirection.