Your highlight from the week Music no barrier for student

Elyria youngster defies all odds

Jordan Harris, a cellist and student at Eastern Heights Middle School in Elyria, has defied all odds against him when it comes to the use of his left arm.

Jordan, 11, was born with one hand, but that hasn’t stopped him from completing tasks, hobbies and jumping over life’s hurdles.

Since the beginning of this school year, Jordan has worked at a new interest of playing the cello in the Eastern Heights Middle School’s orchestra.

Many have helped make Jordan’s time in orchestra easier by creating a cello right for him and a threedimensional component to help him with control of the bow of the instrument, according to Amy Higgins, marketing and communications director for Elyria City Schools.

Elyria High School staff and students helped create the prosthetic component using a 3D printer while others helped with funding, supplying the cello and orchestrating the team

together, Higgins said.

Efforts to help Jordan better fulfill his love for music began when he expressed to his mother, Melinda Morris, who said an interest in playing the cello like his friends and some family members.

“From the day he was born, nothing has stopped him,” she said. “He plays basketball, soccer, tennis,

plays volleyball with his sister.

“He didn’t think he couldn’t do this because he’s been able to do so many other things, that he has that mindset and has a good support system that loves him, and knows he can do whatever he wants.”

Morris added Jordan plays the drums with his father and has a knack for

music.

David Yee, instructor of the orchestra at Eastern Heights Middle, said he knew Jordan could do anything he put his mind to when he expressed his goal.

Yee said the first process in helping make Jordan’s goal possible was to find a cello accommodating to him in the right order and position to play.

After researching a similar instance, Yee said he found another school in Ohio that has performed 3D printing for a student cellist.

Denise Blatt, director of pupil services for Elyria Schools, said Yee talked to her and asked how they can find funding for a proper cello and a prosthetic component possible.

Nordson Corporation Foundation volunteered as a donor for the cello, which was created by The Loft Violin Shop in Columbus.

Blatt said Nordson will complete funding for Jordan’s first year with the cello with another possible donor to help toward customizing next year.

Blatt then passed the information over to Brian Kokai, director of technology operations for the district, to assist in creating the 3D component.

However, Elyria High junior Molly Fenik, 16, heard of the project and also asked to help toward Jordan’s project.

Molly, a member of the robotics team, said she wants a career in prosthetics and help others.

Molly was given control of her first prosthetic project with assistance from Kokai and Mike West, Elyria High’s technology and imagineering hub teacher.

She said the process was tinkering with other shapes on the computer software to the 3D printing machine to create the component.

Molly said she met Jordan to record his measurements to properly create the component and also studied the movements of a friend who is a cellist.

She received professional help through Rebecca Cole, one of the school district’s occupational therapists, to create and complete a supportive prosthetic for Jordan.

After watching him perform for the first time with a prosthetic she created, Molly said “the feeling of helping him accomplish his dreams is great.”

Blatt added she was happy to have a team come together to do this for Jordan.

Jordan said he was surprised and thankful because he didn’t expect to have so many people involved and, in this project.

“I see him doing amazing things and inspiring people to continue to follow their dreams,” Morris said.

Jordan said he didn’t think he couldn’t pursue the cello because he hasn’t been stopped by doing anything else.

“I really never felt like I couldn’t do it because a lot of people tell me I do stuff that nobody else can, and that I’m good at it,” he said.

BRIANA CONTRERAS — THE MORNING JOURNAL Jordan Harris, 11, is a cellist and student at Eastern Heights Middle School in Elyria. Jordan was born with one hand and recently helped by a team of staff, students and those in the community to create a cello and 3D prosthetic component that would better help him control the bow of his cello. Jordan performed with his new prosthetic component at the middle school Oct. 29.