Woodland Hills School District Supports
Our Military
BY VALERIE SHAVER
O
n Tuesday, October 23rd, the staff at the Woodland
Hills School District Administrative Building gathered
together to support Military Connections, a Pittsburgh
based non-profit that ships care packages to the troops
that are deployed overseas. With Christmas just around the
corner, the staff participated in the 2018 Christmas Stocking
Campaign. Being away from home for the holidays can be
very difficult and with donations of cookies, candy, chips,
and crackers, 100 stockings were filled with care with hope
that these would be a great morale booster for our service
members.
To learn more about supporting our troops go to
www.militaryconnections.org. Military Connections is 100%
volunteer run and has been providing Care Packages and
essential supplies to troops since 2003. Every box that goes
over to the troops is appreciated.
We even had a little help from 3rd grader, Jayah Golden!
With all 100 stockings filled to the brim, there was even
some leftover candy that was delivered as well. Military
Connections is always in need of supplies. And all donations
are tax deductible. Please visit the website for more
information on how you can support our country’s defenders.
High School Cafeteria Provides Valuable
Work Experience for Students
If you walk through the cafeteria early in the morning and see
some students standing in the back, they are not skipping class
but rather working an actual paid job. For the past three years
the Nutrition Group has taken on students to be a part of a work
based learning experience. The schedule and tasks assigned
are based off of an individual student’s abilities and needs. On
average, a student is given four to six class periods a week and
paid an hourly wage of $9 an hour.
At the start of each school year the Transition Coordinator
for the high school, Bob Ralston, takes two students to meet
with the cafeteria staff. An interview is conducted and if
they do well the students are hired as official Nutrition Group
employees. The students eligible for this opportunity must have
an open case with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and
Labor (OVR) and be in good academic standing. Mr. Ralston
first looks to find students that want to pursue a career in the
culinary industry. “If we don’t find a candidate with an interest
in culinary,” Ralston stated, “we then look to the students that
would benefit the most with this opportunity and also might
have a difficult time finding that first job.”
After the second grading period, if the current students
are doing well, the cafeteria will take on additional students.
During the 2017-2018 school year four students were able
to get work experience with the cafeteria. “Our goal is to get
six to eight students hired in the cafe this year,” Ralston said.
“The cafeteria staff has been fantastic with the students. They
provide a wonderful work environment and are teaching the
kids skills necessary to find and maintain employment. These
are important skills, skills that the students will use in their daily
adult lives as well.”
BY JR/SR HIGH SCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
26
WOODLAND HILLS
Shariah Taylor-Bracy, 12th Grade
Deshaun Jay, 12th Grade
The cafeteria work experience is possible through the OVR
Pre-Employment Transition Services program. The Nutrition
Group pays the students for their work and then are reimbursed
by OVR. The Woodland Hills OVR representative, John Ulozas,
spends every Tuesday with Mr. Ralston at the high school
contributing to the transition plans created for the juniors and
seniors. Some of the services Mr. Ulozas assists students with
are job and/or training searches, school funding, transportation
and work supply purchases. Mr. Ulozas stated, “It’s great that
Woodland Hills is able to offer students the opportunity to work
on campus. Hopefully in the future more in house placements
can occur in different areas and the number of students
participating grows.”