As DORS concludes the Maryland High School/High Tech (HSHT) grant that was awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, we are looking toward the future, to continue to have the same positive impact on the lives of transitioning youth in Maryland. On Thursday, October 18, 2007, the HSHT Leadership Consortium first took some time to reflect back on the evolution of this valuable program for transitioning youth and to review the accomplishments of this past year. These accomplishments included:
o Every local HSHT program provided activities for students under all four guideposts for success
o Every local HSHT program had at least one student involved in summer internships
o In the past two years, all but one of our qualifying seniors graduated from high school
o The one student who left high school has since enrolled in classes to obtain a GED
o More than half of all students who subsequently became involved in DORS services are now pursuing some type of technical career.
The contributions of each of Maryland’s local HSHT programs were recognized, and Certificates of Appreciation were awarded by Adele Connolly, Maryland’s HSHT Program Director:
| Joyce Coleman, North County High School Project Coordinator |
| Tanya Stillman, Lower Shore Enterprises Project Director |
| Mary Jo Thorpe, National Federation of the Blind Project Director |
| Scott Hollingsworth of Appalachian Crossroads, subgrantee for Garrett County Public Schools, accepts for Kurt Lear, Project Director of Garrett County’s HSHT program. |
Representatives of University of Maryland’s High School/High Tech Young Scholars Program were unavailable to receive their certificate. We recognize the contributions of this fine program as well.
As Maryland looks towards the future, it is apparent that High School/High Tech has left its mark on services for transitioning youth and will continue to have impact on the lives of these youth for years to come.