Connor Cashman, of Westminster, bounced around the classroom like a true rap superstar.

"Go Santa! Go Santa! Get your hands up! Get your hands up!"

Audience members clapped and smiled at the show, giving the eighth-grader all the encouragement he needed.

"I like to make people laugh," Connor said after the show.

For both Connor and his mother, Susan Cashman, the performance was a tremendous milestone.

"Connor usually wouldn't be able to do this," Cashman said.

Last year, she said, Connor, who has bipolar disorder, could not get himself to perform, even with peers. But this year, he went above and beyond and performed a solo.

Connor's performance came during "A Cool Yule," a holiday-themed performance this past week at The Forbush School, a Westminster-based private special education day school operated by Sheppard Pratt Health System in Baltimore.

The school, located in Gateway Park near Carroll Regional Airport, provides instruction and care and for elementary and middle school students, ages 5 to 14, who have autism or an emotional disturbance disorder. The school serves about 35 students.

The school provides services in combination with individual, group and family therapy, as well as crisis intervention and psychiatric medication management.

Many of the students share similar challenges with Connor, said Principal Cathy Brust. Students who have autism have difficulty socializing, while students who have emotionally disorders might have low self-esteem and anxiety issues.

"Getting up in front of an audience is huge," she said.

All 17 second- through eighth-grade students participated in the musical of Christmas and holiday tunes -- the show had initially been scheduled prior to Christmas, but was postponed because of the Dec. 18-20 snowstorm. The Jan. 6 performance was also the first time media was invited to attend and capture the moment.

"They showed to this school and this family what (they) potentially could do, and that's a lot," Cashman said.

The school works in conjunction with Carroll County Public Schools and the Maryland Department of Education, Brust said.

The goal is for students to return to their schools in a mainstream fashion, and take classes with their peers from their community.

Part of the school process -- and the process of creating the musical -- includes working with students to help them feel comfortable in group settings, memorizing routines and setting responsibility.

For Wednesday's show, instructors had worked with students since September to nail down the routines and songs, and it was up to the students to decide what role they wanted, Brust said.

"It's a lot of small, quick rehearsals," she said.

Getting the students to merge movements with lyrics helped them memorize the songs, Brust said.

Jane Luquette is an occupational therapist at The Forbush School, and was happy seeing what the students could do.

"It makes me feel it's worth everything," she said.

Music and art are good components to help progress children who attend Forbush School, she said. Students even helped make paper snowflakes, a paper Christmas tree and wrapped presents on the set to show their dedication to the play, she said.

Kathy Reardon of Westminster had tears rolling down her cheeks during the performance as she watched her child.

"I got a little emotional, and I don't know why," she said. "You could tell that these kids had a lot of fun with themselves."

Christine Eaton of Westminster said she likes how the show demonstrated how students at Forbush are no different, really, from other children.

"I like to see how people can see the students have the ability of any typical child," she said.

The Forbush School at Westminster is located in Gateway Park, 1135 Business Parkway South, Suites 40-50, Westminster. For more details, call 410-751-6026.

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