Blast off: There's a new post-high program for Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro students

Patrick Hite, Staunton News Leader
Updated ·4 min read
Katie Ditchen (left) and Jenna Anderton are teacher in the new Launch Post-High program in Fishersville.
Katie Ditchen (left) and Jenna Anderton are teacher in the new Launch Post-High program in Fishersville.

FISHERSVILLE — In 1987 Katie Ditchen, then Katie Roller, was a high school sophomore in Staunton at what was then known at Robert E. Lee High School. The 15-year-old spent five days that August in Huntsville, Alabama, at NASA's Space Camp. Out of the 200 students in attendance, she was chosen at the outstanding camper that year. A reporter from The News Leader even wrote a story about her experience.

Ditchen calls herself a space nerd, saying she's been fascinated with NASA and outer space for years. She's also been a teacher for 27 years, the last three working in special education in Staunton and before that in Georgia. Her new job, one of two teachers at the Launch post-high program in Fishersville, seems like a perfect match for her interests.

The new program will be offered starting this year for students with disabilities from Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County. It's for those students who graduate high school but still need additional support to build skills and confidence as they prepare for adulthood.

Known as Launch, the program uses a space theme, including a motto: Plan to Take Off ... Destination: Adulthood.

"We're practicing all of the same prerequisite skills that they'll need in the real world, in the employment world," Ditchen said. "NASA trains astronauts that way. You start by learning about an activity, a task. It's broken down into checklists of tasks. You develop the prerequisite skills, you practice it over and over again until you achieve automaticity, meaning you can dive right in and do it without thinking about it."

It's the same thing at the new post-high program, but instead of training for space missions they are training for adulthood.

The program leased space from the Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center (WWRC). LAUNCH will be located at 40 Andrew Lane on the WWRC campus in Fishersville.

Jen Matheny, the program's administrator, said one of the goals of the program is allow students to gain experience in the community. She wants to make sure it's a different experience than high school, not just 13th grade.

Matheny said a lot of the students in Launch had been staying in the high schools because there was no program to suit their needs. Launch will begin with 14 students from ages 18-22. That could grow in years to come, but it depends on the needs of the students, Matheny said.

"The objective of all three school divisions is we don't want the students who have finished the four years of high school, we do not want them sitting in the high school again," Matheny said. "Nothing is wrong with that environment, but just like you and me, they're ready to move on."

Jenna Anderton is the second teacher in the program, which also has five instructional assistants.

One of the rooms in the Launch post-high program in Fishersville will allow students to practice making beds, setting up desks to work at and folding laundry.
One of the rooms in the Launch post-high program in Fishersville will allow students to practice making beds, setting up desks to work at and folding laundry.

There are various rooms in the building. One is a bedroom where students will learn strategies like making the bed, setting up a desk, folding laundry. There's also a kitchen where students will work on cooking skills. There's another room that will be set up as different business environments. To start, it is set up as a travel agency and a flower shop. Students will learn various skills in those environments before using them to volunteer in the community.

"Learning life skills, that's our goal," Anderton said.

The program will work with students on many key competency areas:

Personal Care Skills

  • Hygiene

  • Exercise and fitness

  • Routines

  • Healthy habits

  • Understanding personal information

  • Improving personal safety

  • Self-advocacy

Interpersonal Skills

  • Finding meaningful social opportunities

  • Navigating relationship roles

  • Improving emotional regulation

  • Enhancing social communication

  • Identifying interests/hobbies

  • Building skill for potential employment or volunteering

Environmental Skills

  • Meal planning

  • Budgeting and shopping

  • Meal prep and cleanup

  • First aid

  • General housekeeping and maintenance

Community Connections

  • Using public transportation

  • Participating in meaningful service projects

  • Participating in local recreation programs

  • Visiting community, business and tourism sites

  • Generalizing skills across multiple settings

  • Identifying personal resources

The phone number for Launch is (540) 332-7004. Classes for the students begin Wednesday, Aug. 9.

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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: New post-high program for Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro ready to launch