TJ students attend a Leadership Conference and taking home the gold.
Photo courtesy Eric Perry
On April 15, 2011 an Alternative Cooperation Education Leadership Conference was held for special education vocation students at the Lowry Conference Center. With more than 175 students participating in the Conference, TJ was able to leave its mark by taking home eight gold medals among the seven students.
ACE is a program which provides high-risk students with a lifelong pathway for graduation, employment and career development. It is the only Career and Technical Education program designed specifically for high-risk and special populations students, which addresses individualized and transition needs. ACE works to transition these students from high school to post-secondary education and training or into the workforce.
The students who attended the event range from freshman to seniors. The seniors were Caitlin Barley, Kierra Morrison, and Randy Walker. The juniors were Dominique Mendinghall, Jessica Oliver, Ajani Brown, and the freshman was Jozua Bristol. All students had to participate in at least one competitive event ranging from interviewing skills and resume writing to building their own business and presenting it to a panel of judges. “I have been working with my students with the help of Kerry Black, Barry Meriash, and Todd Byers for a good portion of this semester. The great news is that TJ brought home eight gold medals amongst the seven students that represented TJ,” said SPED teacher Eric Perry, who is in charge of special needs kids and teaches them the life skills that are necessary for the students to apply for jobs and continue life outside of the school.
The students who won gold medals in the individual entrepreneurship competition for presenting their business they created are Caitlin Barley, Dominique Mendinghall, and Jessica Oliver. The students who won gold medals in the group entrepreneurship for presenting a student backpack were Kierra Morrison, Jozua Bristol, and Dominique Mendinghall. The students who won gold medals in the interviewing skills competition were Ajani Brown and Randy Walker.
The students report that they have received a lot of pleasure and excitement from this competition, beyond taking home the gold. “This has been a wonderful opportunity that we got to participate in. It has opened up my eyes to the business world and the many opportunities that exist outside of school. It gave us all an experience with jobs and careers, and definitely helped us all plan for the future and to look ahead,” said Barley.
For many students this was a competition that allowed them to open up and learn what life is like outside of high school. “The leaders at the conference were very encouraging and helped us all to open up,” said Morrison. “They told us that it is better that we let our feelings and ideas come through our words other than keeping them inside. This is something that will definitely help me in the future.”
The younger students were also excited about the results that they have received from ACE Leadership Conference. “I am definitely looking forward to participating in this next year. It was worth my time and will help me get prepared for college,” said Brown.
Throughout the year, Perry has been working hard with the kids to teach them all of the life skills that they need to move on and become successful in life. “This competition demonstrated the strength of all the kids, they learned the baby steps in class and ACE helped the students to experience first hand what life is like,” said Perry. “They were judged by business people from the community and were able to show what they have learned in my class.”
