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Some Building Blocks of Pathways Transition Program
- Discussion groups for students who are thinking about continuing their education at universities, community colleges and training institutions.
A student cuts the ribbon at the opening of Pathways-Edgewood's In-School Branch for the current year.
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- An Apprentice Program that offers students training in fields that have potential for long-term employment and professional development, including experience as tellers at in-school credit union branches.
- Pathways Work Crew gives
Landscaping on the Work Crew
 | students real-world job experience. The Work Crew takes jobs in the community such as landscaping, painting and hauling. Students are paid for their time on the Work Crew, learning to take responsibility for themselves while gaining job skills.
- Pathways has partnered with the Young
Pathways t-shirt developed and marketed by the Young Entrepreneurs
 | Entrepreneurs Program in Prince George's County to help students experience what it is like to begin and grow a business. Students go through all the steps, from developing an idea to making a budget, finding resources, production and marketing.
- Pathways students attend the Technical
Pathways student in the culinary arts program of the Technical Academy
 | Academy at Crossland High School, receiving training in several state-approved career and technology education programs. These include culinary arts, HVAC (heating, ventilating, air conditioning), IT (information technology), drafting and automotive mechanics.
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Transition--One Student at a Time
One important component of Pathways transition effort is a program of community-based internships. Research suggests that experiences such as these help students to develop skills and confidence they need to hold competitive employment now and throughout their lives. The real measure of a transition program lies in the stories of individual students who benefit from the effort and encouragement of specialists and teachers and are able to overcome their fears and achieve success. Such is the story of a Pathways high school student this year who lacked the self-confidence needed to get hired in the current competitive job market. He would benefit from a paid community-based internship.
 Pathways transition coordinator Miguel Bueso approached a neighborhood grocery store. After several conversations, and with the help of Pathways administrators and social work interns, he was able to convince the store and district manager to give Pathways students a try. As part of Pathways transition programs, all qualifying student interns receive a stipend of up to $15 a day for each shift worked, and are observed and supervised by Pathways staff. Miguel stopped by the grocery store regularly to watch and give feedback to the student concerning his performance. Each day the student grew better in assisting customers at the store, greeting them with increasing confidence and following through with all his assigned duties and responsibilities. He worked steadily and with growing self-assurance, and by the time his internship was completed, had earned more than $75, not a large sum by some standards, but huge in its representation of the growth and success achieved by the student. |
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Young Actors Enhance Communication  Students at The Pathways School-Springville are learning about the subtle dynamics of communication through a series of acting workshops in the school's first Drama Club. The workshops are enlivened by creative exercises that reveal the fascinating subtexts of daily conversations and the way verbal habits can block effective communication. In one exercise the students were divided into pairs and were challenged to portray a response to a random situation without using words and with only one prop, a chair. The objective was to understand how one's body can portray or betray the intended emotion in a scene. In another exercise the pairs were challenged to hold an extended conversation without using habitual monosyllables such as "um", "uh" and "like". It was easy to see how communication often becomes muddled.
During the remainder of the year the students will explore other aspects of the actor's craft such as character development and will consider the opportunities and challenges of a career in theater. They will continue to work on acting and communication skills in preparation for a year-end performance in front of the Springville student body and staff.
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Fun Run coming up on May 1! Each year the "Journey to Better Pathways" 5K Fun Run/Walk supports the academic and therapeutic programs that enable our students to change their lives and reach their goals. The Run/Walk route winds through the lovely trails of Sligo Creek Park and the quiet streets of the adjacent neighborhood. Fun family activities follow, including the award ceremony and a raffle drawing. This year's Fun. Run is coming up on Saturday, May 1, 2010. Find out more! Click here:
Click on the Fun Run Sun!
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THE PATHFINDER
