TONTOGANY — Ronnie wanted a weather show, and the whole Otsego community turned out to help.
The fifth-grader with autism has always had a fascination with forecasts and a penchant for performing.

When Curt Williams, intervention specialist in the Otsego Local School District, met Ronnie Ewing this
school year, it took just a few weeks before they got his show up and running.
It started with a cell phone camera and short script.
It’s blossomed into a once-a-week production assisted by two high school students, complete with a theme
song, guest stars and a website.
“It grew so fast, we were just trying to hang on,” Williams said. “This reinforces all the things that
are amazing about Ronnie.”
The student has inspired a great collaborative effort at Otsego.
Williams turned “Weather with Ronnie” into a project-based learning assignment for not only Ronnie, but
two other students.
Project-based learning gives students authentic learning experiences, Williams said. It’s about how
teachers can get students to learn a curriculum, then use it in society.
The learning goes beyond memorizing and restating facts, and into problem solving, he said.
Williams and Ronnie meet once a week to discuss writing the script for the show. Ronnie is in charge of
it.
“He’s learning how to research, how to write and how to present it,” Williams said.
Ronnie said he does a lot of thinking on the topic and show, before it’s recorded.
“I imagine it in my brain,” he said.
Next, they meet senior Mercedes McNett, who works with Ronnie on Wednesdays, which is filming day. She
hopes to become a special education teacher after college and is using this experience as her senior
capstone.
Freshman Hunter Thomas signed on, bringing his tech expertise to the production.
Ronnie shoots the show in one take. It’s up to Hunter to edit it, which is about a four-hour process. He
also manages the “Weather with Ronnie” website, which has over 300 subscribers.
High school media specialist Pam Heyman is usually on standby.
“It’s the Otsego advantage, that people like to help out one another,” Heyman said. “It’s created a great
sense of community.”
Ronnie’s paraprofessional of four years, Carry  Semler is there for it all, showing Ronnie flashcards
during the show and keeping him focused.
“Our philosophy is he doesn’t have a disadvantage. He has a different advantage,” Semler said.
Elementary music teacher Kaye Spicer came up with the “Weather with Ronnie” theme song. Listen at your
own risk — it’s quite catchy.
Ronnie presides over his weathercast much like a ringleader in a circus. He does drum rolls on his belly
before sharing the fun fact of the week. He bellows “Good afternoon, Otsego students” but uses
inflections to describe the temperatures, chances of snow and why there is fog. He ends every show with
“Peace out!”
WTOL-TV meteorologist Ryan Wichman — one of Ronnie’s idols — has popped in for a guest appearance and
advice.
Ronnie has macrocephaly, which is an overly large head, and Asperger’s syndrome. Symptoms of Asperger’s,
which is a form of autism, can include severely impaired social skills, not communicating well with
others and poor coordination.
“A long time ago, people with Asperger’s or mental illness were not necessarily viewed as having a lot of
potential,” Williams said.
Ronnie also seeks to improve his broadcasts, Williams said.
“He watches these videos and he’ll critique himself.”
In one show, Ronnie noticed that he was swaying, which he does when he’s excited, Williams said.
“Now he’ll cross his hands in front of him. That’s self-monitoring and reflecting, which is incredible.”

The forecast for Ronnie’s future? Just ask him:
“I really want to be a weatherman when I grow up,” he said.