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Spotlight on Audubon |
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Woodend Sanctuary |
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Internships are an effective way for students to learn work skills in a real-life situation. For three years, Pathways has partnered with the Audubon Society to offer 20 environmental internships to Edgewood students. These students help maintain Woodend, a 40-acre bird and wildlife sanctuary in Chevy Chase. Some of the activities have included maintaining the trails used for bird watching, taking water samples from the pond to test for pollutants and assisting with the upkeep of an historic mansion on the property. |
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More about the Montgomery County Transition Work Group
or
email at
transitionyouthgroup
@yahoo.com
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Click HERE to go to the donation page of our website. |
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Greetings!
For students and teachers at Pathways, the early months of the school year are filled with the daily work of teaching and learning. The focus is on "ace-ing" the next project or exam. These goals deserve attention; yet some of most important work that Pathways does is enabling our students to do well in life once they accomplish those goals and finish school. For 30 years we have been a pioneer in the field of transition, the term used for the process of preparing students to succeed after graduation. This edition of The Pathfinder touches on the key role transition plays in a Pathways education. |
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Resource Fair for Young People with Disabilities
Pathways' transition program offers life skills classes, work readiness coaching, career planning, job experience, support groups and more. While working directly and individually with our students on a daily basis is vital to their success, advocating for them in the community is just as important. A strong community network of resources and supports is essential for young people with disabilities. To that end, our Transition Coordinator, Trudy Portewig, has served on the Transition Work Group in Montgomery County for many years. The Group is made up of representatives from a wide range of organizations, service providers, government agencies, school staff and parents who all have a stake in seeing young people with disabilities live fully and thrive in Montgomery County. It meets monthly to share resources and ideas and to plan initiatives and collaborative projects. Many of its resources are designed to help families understand the maze of transition services and requirements.
 On October 15, the Transition Work Group held its third annual "Transitioning Youth Resource Fair" at Montgomery College in Rockville. The fair was designed for young people with disabilities and their parents and guardians, foster families, educators and friends. At least 300 people attended, including more young people than ever before. The fair offered at least 20 workshops and had 55 exhibitors outlining a range of programs and services. The workshop sessions covered an array of topics from job readiness to financial planning, medical
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Exhibitors at the fair |
assistance, social networking, housing and college prep. Some workshops were geared specifically to the young people themselves, with information on finding a job, disability supports in colleges, and social and recreational opportunities. These workshops included young adults with disabilities telling their own stories as part of a panel discussion.
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More than 300 attended |
The range of agencies and organizations present at the Fair stretched from the Maryland Youth Leadership Forum to the Maryland Department of Rehabilitation Services to advocacy groups like the Maryland Coalition for Children's Mental Health. The Maryland Association of Nonpublic Special Education Facilities (MANSEF) was there as were service providers like Metro Access and representatives from local colleges and universities, including Montgomery, Howard and Trinity College. The Fair was of interest to Senator Ben Cardin and Representative Chris Van Hollen, who both sent staff from their offices. |
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Transition Snapshot
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Ricky Hyatte on graduation day |
Richard Hyatte admits that during his education at Pathways he could be a little annoyed rather than grateful for all the job and life skills classes, internships and work experiences he was compelled to take and do by Pathways-Edgewood's Transition Coordinators Ms. Johnson and
Mr. Hamm. Ricky graduated from Pathways in 2010 and recently stopped by to check in with one of his old Pathways mentors,
Mr. Barnes. The young man's thoughts about his education have taken a definite positive turn as he has begun to experience the results of his and Pathways staff efforts. As Ricky was preparing to finish at Pathways, Ms. Johnson had connected him with the staff at the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DORS), who sent him for further education and training at the Workforce and Technology Center in Baltimore, where he lived and received instruction for nine months. Relying on the foundation he was given at Pathways, supplemented by his new training, Ricky has been working in landscaping services for the Naval Research Lab. He applied for and just received clearance to do the same type of work for the FBI, and will transfer there in two weeks. Just as impressive to Mr. Barnes--and obviously to Ricky himself--was the news that Ricky has an apartment, a provisional driver's license, and his own cell phone plan!
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Students "Drum It Up" at DuVal Re-Entry
This fall, the Pathways suite at DuVal High School is echoing with the sounds of drums, rattles, cowbells and other percussive instruments. The rhythm symphony is part of a music residency funded in part by the Maryland State Arts Council and led by teaching artist and percussionist Elizabeth Melvin. Each week as many as nine students meet together with Ms. Melvin to learn the percussion, rhythms and singing of West Africa and the Caribbean, helping to foster intercultural understanding. There are no books, scores or pages of music, so the students must pay close attention to Ms. Melvin and
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Drumming workshop with
Elizabeth Melvin |
follow her lead and the beat of the group. With rhythm games, echoing, call and response and sound exploration, the students gain confidence and a level of freedom. As they master individual rhythms, drumming techniques and ensemble playing, the students are building life skills, such as communication, cooperation and teamwork. Ms. Melvin uses the vehicle of percussion to mold the students into a drumming community that embodies discipline, respect, unity and music, or DRUM. The students are enthusiastic; one was even inspired to perform a spontaneous dance, embodying Ms. Melvin's philosophy to "bring your best self and believe you can do it". At the conclusion of the residency the Pathways students will give a demonstration to a selected audience. Ms. Melvin will bring her professional ensemble, Goombay, to perform for the entire Pathways Schools community at the Pep Rally on November 3.
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