WOODSTOCK — Woodstock Academy alumna, Ashley Lebeau ’13 has been selected to sing the National Anthem at Fenway Park on June 21, as the Red Sox celebrate Special Olympics night.  The game will begin at 7:10 p.m. and be played against the Chicago White Sox.  Special Olympic athletes will be honored during pre-game ceremonies and throughout the evening.

“Ashley started singing the National Anthem at unified basketball home games during high school.  She is absolutely a ray of sunshine and brightens the room when she walks in.  Ashley is extremely inspiring because she embraces her William’s Syndrome. She and I used to visit regular education classrooms to educate others about William’s Syndrome. She is amazing because she makes her disability into an ability and that’s one of the reasons why many people love her so much,” said Yori Ayotte, Ashley’s former special education teacher and coach of WA’s unified teams.

For the last seven years, Ashley has been singing the National Anthem at different venues around Connecticut including UConn, Quinebaug Valley Community College, the Opening Ceremonies for the Special Olympics Summer Games at Southern Connecticut State University, The Woodstock Academy, and many others.  Ashley is a member of the Quinebaug Valley Special Olympics Spirit Squad, and over the past 10 years has participated in Special Olympics soccer, bowling, track & field, and swimming.

WA Fine Arts Department Chair Amy Ranta said, “I am so incredibly proud of Ashley and all she has accomplished with her singing.  She is an inspiration to me and others, and living proof of what one can accomplish with a positive attitude.”  Amy taught Ashley for four years during her time at The Academy.

Singing the National Anthem at Fenway Park has been Ashley’s dream for the past six years.  After she was selected, her mother Karen created a video to tell Ashley that one of her dreams has come true, and she will be singing at Fenway Park.  Ashley chose her brother Michael, an avid Red Sox fan, as the one person she can have on the field with her while she sings.