Lakewood's Vocational Visions program gives students an early start on their careers
LAKEWOOD – While most students returned from the pandemic two years ago hoping to simply get back to their regular workload, a group of Lakewood High Schoolers took things a step further.
They launched two businesses – making dog treats and selling coffee to teachers – as well as taking on lunch and breakfast preparations, doing laundry for school teams, and landing jobs at nearby businesses like Applebee’s and Donovan’s.
Oh, by the way, they’re all in special education.
“They have come very far and work hard,” said Joanna Francese, a special education teacher and one of several involved in the Vocational Visions program that launched in 2021. “There is still that stigma and we want people to see what they can do.”
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The program, which began with 20 students and has increased to 28 for the current school year, includes a broad spectrum of students with special needs, ranging from autism to developmental disabilities and emotional issues, organizers said.
The focus is on training them to do various vocational tasks -- from handling money to food preparation and laundry -- and then immersing them in real-life jobs and daily routines that prepare them for careers beyond school.
“It is geared for students who are on a vocational tract, students who might not be going to college, who can follow a more vocational road and will need the support that we can provide them now,” said Adina Weisz, supervisor of related services. “The students learn how to manage a job in this very safe environment.”
Among the daily tasks are packing and sorting the “to-go” breakfast and lunch packs each day at the high school cafeteria. These mini-meals are available for all students to take on the run.
“I get more to do during school and I learn more than on the outside,” said Emil Paz, 17, who works in the cafeteria, on the coffee service and other parts of the program. “When you make deliveries, you make people happy and I want to do that, be a food manager. We are proud of it.”
About a dozen special education students are engaged in that food prep work each morning before class.
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“It provides students everything they need,” said Anthony Spadola, Lakewood Schools director of Sodexo, which handles the district’s food service.“They know how to follow instructions and the aides set up a plan and they have to follow it and they do. You have to be open-minded to the capabilities of these students.”
Other jobs include cleaning and clearing tables in the cafeteria, stocking food carts and shelves, and picking up and emptying trash.
More recently they have also taken teacher orders to cut and paste letters and photos for bulletin board displays, as well as doing uniform laundry for many of the varsity teams.
“Most of our kids don’t have access to a washer/dryer, they have to go to a laundromat,” said Kyle Shelley, who coaches girls soccer, wrestling and softball. “They have three or four games a week. Between 10 sports programs in the fall, they do not always have access to the washer and dryer.”
“It is a real godsend for kids who are not able to wash them at their own homes and for students to get hands-on experience,” he said.
But the favorite program might be the weekly Rise ‘N Grind coffee service, which students run each Friday and provide coffee, tea and food items to dozens of staffers.
“It has been a good resource,” said Kelly Hammel, a special education teacher who supervises the coffee program and estimated 30 customers take part each week.“It is customer service, working together, taking money and making change, and navigating the hallways.”
On a recent Friday the first-floor home economics classroom that doubles as the coffee kitchen and laundry room was buzzing as the students tended to their related tasks.
While Edgar Mendoza, 16, took in the payments and made change, Yulied Almazam, 15, served up the made-to order java like a Starbucks veteran.
“I want to work in a bank,” said Mendoza. “I learn to figure with money and when I get older I want to work with money.”
Almazam offered a similar career plan: “I know how to make it and prepare it for other people. I would like to do this and work as a cashier or in a coffee place.”
The in-school jobs and programs are only part of the story, organizers said.
Most of the students have also earned jobs in local retailers and eateries as well as the nearby Bell Rosa Stables in Howell and Allaire Community Farm in Wall.
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“It helps him to be more independent and dependable,” said Erica Quiles, referring to her autistic son, Kevin, a 12th grader who has worked on a local farm. “He is able to do more and he likes to work in the farm and in the restaurant. When he comes home he has great stories of what they did. I realize that is progress and the program helps him to improve and see what he is capable of doing.”
Organizers hope to expand the program more in the future to include increased job options and real-life opportunities for students who often just need a chance.
“These students will require supervision,” Francese said. “However, we need to make them as independent as possible. This has given them those skills to be functional at home for the parents.”
Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience who covers education and several local communities for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of three books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at jstrupp@gannettnj.com and at 732-413-3840. Follow him on Twitter at @joestrupp
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lakewood HS Vocational Visions program smashes votech stigma:
