Common Ground: Uplifting Students with Disabilities through Inclusion and Support

Greta Cunningham ‘23, Communications Intern
January 15, 2025

This year, Cretin-Derham Hall started the Common Ground program for students with intellectual disabilities– the first of its kind at a Catholic high school in Minnesota. The two inaugural students, Jono Krummen ’28 and Alex Thornton ’28 both have Down Syndrome. At CDH, the two students take mainstream inclusion classes (Values, science, art, phy ed, and JROTC) with the rest of their peers and specialized math and reading/writing courses with the CDH Learning Lab staff. A junior or senior supports them as a peer mentor in each class.  

This new program really started in the spring of 2023 when Jill and Craig Krummen reached out to CDH about the possibility of their son Jono, then a 7th grader, attending. 

Craig said their family’s interest in CDH was shaped over a decade of experience with school alumni. He recalled being at preschool gym when Jono was only three and running into a CDH community member who told the Krummens they should consider sending Jono to CDH when he was in high school. 

He remembered visiting their neighbor across the street and seeing that, 60 years after graduating, he still had a photo in his Cretin football uniform hanging on the wall. 

When Jono was in middle school at Holy Spirit, a CDH alum volunteered to coach him in basketball and cheered him on when he competed at the Special Olympics. 

“If you look at all those things, what they had in common to me was a special community that really is hard to find,” said Craig. “And I think the question for us wasn’t ‘Why CDH?,’ but ‘Why wouldn't Jono want to come to CDH?’”

“CDH has a special culture– I haven’t seen anything quite like it,” said Craig Krummen. “I think 99% of the credit for that goes to CDH’s leadership. We spoke with a lot of private, faith-based schools, and their doors were closed to Jono.  At CDH, not only were the doors wide open, they wanted to figure out how to bring in others like Jono and expand it to a legacy program. I don't think you can get there without leadership.”

Getting Common Ground Off the Ground

Joseph Miley ’11, Learning Specialist and Director of the Common Ground program at CDH explains how this unique program started.  He said his dad, former CDH President Frank Miley, once expressed that he would like to somehow find a way for students with Down Syndrome to attend CDH.  

“Years later, I came across an article about a Jesuit high school in St. Louis that had started a program for students with intellectual disabilities and thought to myself, ‘Why couldn’t we do this at CDH?’ 

Joe Miley drafted a preliminary document that laid out what it might look like at CDH and came up with the name, ‘Common Ground.’  

“I don’t think that Common Ground would have been developed without CDH’s charisms of the Christian Brothers and the Sisters of St. Joseph,” said Miley.  Because of the school’s commitment to the mission and spirituality of its founders, there was excitement about the prospect of providing educational opportunities for students CDH has not always been able to serve. Administration and staff members also recognized the valuable opportunity to teach and care for students who may find themselves on the margins. 

After approaching Principal Mona Passman with the idea, who was very supportive, Miley asked the Krummens if they knew anyone else who might be interested. They shared Patty Thornton’s contact information, who they had just met at their sons’ basketball game the week before. 

“Jono had been playing on Holy Spirit sports teams for four years, and we’d never seen another student with Down syndrome until he played against Alex,” said Jill Krummen. “It was pretty amazing that we bumped into him.” 

Not long before Miley reached out to them, David Thornton remembered throwing out a piece of CDH admission mail, assuming their son wouldn’t be able to attend.  

“After reaching out to schools to ask if they would take our son and continually hearing no, it was amazing to have someone reach out to us and say they were interested in having him,” said Patty Thornton. 

Once he knew Alex was interested in CDH, Miley started talking to directors and staff members in similar programs around the United States. Combined with insight from CDH administrators, Learning Lab teachers, the Krummens, and the Thorntons, he came up with the structure for Common Ground. 

For the success of this program, it was critical to develop course schedules that paired the students with caring, attentive teachers. In addition, junior and senior peer mentors were recruited to assist them in each class.

Additionally, training sessions before school started for instructional staff and peer mentors helped those working with Jono and Alex feel confident.

Along with presenting the structure for the Common Ground program at CDH during the staff’s workshops in August, several guest speakers provided insight:

• Carissa Carroll, the founder of Jack’s Basket, an organization that supports parents expecting a child with Down Syndrome, spoke about her experience working with people with Down Syndrome and their families. 

• Kirsta Graf, an alum from Bethel University’s BUILD program for students with intellectual disabilities also came to speak about some of her experiences and accomplishments that many wouldn’t have considered possible because she has Down syndrome. 

• Erin Kimlinger, one of Jono’s teachers at Holy Spirit shared how they supported him there. 

• Both Jill Krummen and Patty Thornton also spoke with teachers about their goals for their sons’ time at CDH.

Peer Mentors, who are assigned to attend a class with a Common Ground student each time it meets, are key to the success of the program. Mentors provide both academic and social/emotional support for the students while also acting as servant leaders in the school. The interest among junior and senior students was strong.  In fact, so many students applied to be Common Ground peer mentors that Jono and Alex have a different junior or senior with them in each of their classes. The students will change each trimester.

“I wanted to be a Common Ground mentor because when I heard about the program, I felt that it was something I could be very helpful with,” said Sam Rosga ’26. “Growing up with a cousin that had Down Syndrome and seeing his experience as he grew through high school, I figured I could take his experience and try to implement the positives and learn from the negatives (of his experience) here at CDH.”

“To have our son have this chance and to just fit in with other ninth graders, other 15-year-olds is amazing,” said Patty Thornton. “When we were speaking with the peer mentors, one of the kids asked if they could go out with Alex and Jono to get something to eat and stuff like that, and it’s just great to know they’re thinking about how they can be friends.”

The learning opportunities in peer mentorship go both ways. 

“They’re going to know Jono and Alex– they’re not just going to see media portrayals or bias or prejudice history,” said Jill Krummen. “They’re going to see that they deserve to be in their school, in their churches, in their workplace. I think it's critical that schools that follow Jesus have Jono and Alex in the building. There's a huge impact when you see a place actually put their faith into practice.”

Jono and Alex are enjoying their classes so far. 

“It's good because I like to strive and to achieve big things,” said Alex. “I like art, CASA, and science. I enjoy learning the engineering process.” 

“I like science too,” added Jono. “I like the labs and projects.”

Outside of class, Jono and Alex were team managers for ninth grade football. “Alex and Jono were two of the biggest highlights of our undefeated season,” said ninth grade coach, Mike Brewer.  “The Common Ground program opened the door for both of these young men to join the team and while they were technically managers, they were, in reality, so much more.”

Coach Brewer saw their positive impact firsthand. “Both Alex and Jono, in very different ways, brought a football team together like I had never seen in over 28 years of coaching. They loved the team and the team loved them. It became a game end tradition for our offense to line up on the goal line and have Alex, at QB, throw a game winning touchdown to Jono. I will never forget the 2024 9th grade group, in large part due to what Alex and Jono gave all of us. Go Raiders!!”  

When asked about his experience with the team, Alex responded, “It’s been fun working with the coaches. Their smiles really brighten up my day.” 

Jono is also on the CDH swim team this winter, taking part in team workouts, practices, and meets. Two team managers from the girls' swim team offer support and personalized coaching during both practices and meets. Meanwhile, Alex recently began skiing for a Special Olympics team and has loved his time on the slopes. 

Growing Common Ground 

CDH hopes the Common Ground program can continue to grow in the years to come and are currently seeking other families who may be interested to see if the CDH Common Ground opportunity may be a good fit for their son or daughter with intellectual disabilities.  Families are encouraged to contact Joe Miley at jmiley@c-dh.org or 651-696-3339.

“I hope that Common Ground helps us to better understand what is meant by the prayer invocation we say at CDH: Let us remember we are in the holy presence of God, and let us love God and the dear neighbor without distinction,” said Miley. 

“I hope that we are able to see and love Christ in our Common Ground students, and then see and do the same with others. I hope we realize the gift these students are to our community and that it truly is in giving that we receive.”