The Pathfinders use the money they make from the cart and stand to buy the supplies they need for lunches or to learn how to navigate Stillwater via public transportation via the bus to visit a local restaurant. They also use the funds to celebrate at a year-end event or at a celebration for graduating students.
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The Pathfinders use the money they make from the cart and stand to buy the supplies they need for lunches or to learn how to navigate Stillwater via public transportation via the bus to visit a local restaurant. They also use the funds to celebrate at a year-end event or at a celebration for graduating students.
Although the Academy is supported by SHS, funding for the program is almost entirely from their business sales.
For students entering the program, Mitchell meets with both parents and students to decide the goal they’ re working toward, and then the classroom becomes the workshop where those specific goals are taught and learned.
“ The goal is for these students to become independent in some sort, whether that’ s helping Mom and Dad do dishes at home, or just helping clean up after themselves – maybe it’ s just taking dishes to the sink,” Mitchell said.“ Some of them, their long-term goal is to live by themselves, so it’ s us preparing them to be out in the community, living by themselves, cleaning, cooking or shopping – whatever that looks like.”
Their new space at the new high school offers more room for not only students to work on projects, but also to store items they use to make their products to sell.“ We have a lot of moving parts,” Mitchell said.“ … We needed space for all of that.”
The new space is probably three times as large as their former space at the old SHS, Mitchell said. The new classroom houses a fully wheelchair-accessible kitchen and a Murphy bed, which folds up into a wall. Mitchell said she pushed for a Murphy bed because it could help the students in multiple ways.
“ Not only is that something they can do at home, but that’ s an employable skill and that’ s a skill that some of our students could get a job maybe working at a hotel, cleaning rooms and making a bed,” Mitchell said.
For more information about Pioneer Pathfinders, email spedtransition @ stillwaterschools. com.
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The Pathfinders use the money they make from the cart and stand to buy the supplies they need for lunches or to learn how to navigate Stillwater via public transportation via the bus to visit a local restaurant. They also use the funds to celebrate at a year-end event or at a celebration for graduating students.
A finished handmade pom-pom fall wreath.( Photo provided)
STORY BY: JESSICA MARSHALL Stillwater Oklahoma Magazine PHOTOS by JESSICA MARSHALL
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