- May 2, 2024
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Flagler Palm Coast High School student Jamie Gomez, 14, wants to work at Dick’s Sporting Goods or Pet Supermarket after graduating high school. Through the Flagler School’s Exceptional Student Education Community Based Instruction program, Gomez has been building time management skills, responsibility and social skills that will one day, help her to achieve this goal.
“I’ve learned respect and responsibility,” Gomez said. “And to do stuff at home, like clean my room.”
Through the CBI program, students at both FPC and Matanzas enroll in jobs at the school, such as cafeteria cleanup, delivering and sorting mail, laundry and tours for new students. The goal is for students in the program then take the skills they have learned and apply them to jobs in the community.
“Instead of focusing on (the student’s) disability, we focus on what their abilities are and we create different jobs that they can use to further their skills for the future,” said Lauren Green, behavior specialist at FPC. “Doing mundane tasks that some people don’t like means the world to them. And being associated with community. I think it is important for people to know that there are kids out there that need help and want to be connected.”
Matanzas students are learning multiple jobs at various locations in Palm Coast including Winn-Dixie and the Flagler Humane Society Thrift Store. These job-training sites have provided students with the opportunity to learn stocking, bagging, packaging, clerical, and janitorial skills. In addition to learning job-specific skills, students are learning team building along with time management and responsibility, all while building a resume of new employment experiences and partnerships between the student population and community. The crown jewel of the CBI program at Matanzas is the school store, which is completely stocked and run by ESE students.
“Everybody can be good and something — whatever it is, vacuuming, rolling silverware — if provided the opportunity to be successful, they can truly be a valuable asset,” said Sharon Schack, ESE teacher at FPC. “Seeing (the students) be successful brings me the most pride.”
As the school year progresses, the program is seeking more community partners to hire students. Businesses interested in collaborating with the CBI program should contact FPC job coach Mary Allar, at [email protected].
