The two students who spoke at Garrett County’s High School High Tech banquet say that the program has already changed the way they view the future. That’s good news to Garrett County Public Schools, DORS, Appalachian Crossroads, Western Maryland Consortium and Wisp Ski Resort, who came together in October 2005 to launch Garrett county’s first High School High Tech Program. The event at Wisp Ski Resort on March 6, 2006 brought together representatives from these organizations, as well as students, parents, job coaches and local employers.
One student spoke about opportunities and how High School High Tech has helped her to see the possibilities for her in the work world. She now sees that work can be fun, and she has gained far more than work skills through this experience. The other spoke about the challenges in his life and how this program has helped him to face his responsibilities. He now sees high school graduation as a reality for him, and looks forward to going to work.
The organizers of the Garrett County High School High Tech program say that development of basic work skills will ensure future success for these students. Therefore, students begin the program in paid internships at Wisp and learn how to be good workers. They will then move on to jobs and internships with local high tech employers; some may even continue on at Wisp, depending on what type of work they want to do.
After a marvelous dinner served by Wisp staff, several of these representatives spoke about the philosophy of the project and the need to ‘think outside of the box’ to help our students with disabilities to stay in school and strive towards that dream job.
Garrett County has one of the highest dropout rates for students with disabilities in the State. It is anticipated that programs like the High School/High Tech Collaborative Transition Program will turn that around. There are many more students with disabilities like the two who spoke at this event, students who are searching for reasons to stay in school and walk across that graduation stage.
