During the 2017/2018 school year, many of our Questar III Special Education schools participated in work-based learning and service learning throughout the community. The relationships and skills these students developed have enhanced their ability for interaction, employment readiness, and organization. The hands-on experience that this program offers gets students familiar with the world of work and their community.
This program wouldn’t be possible without the help of Questar III’s amazing teachers and their teaching assistants. Day in and day out these teachers and TA’s help the students prepare for their placement or project and continually encourage them to do their best. For all that they do, we want to say thank you!
Columbia HS (Cindy Burola and Nora Horan)
Teacher Assistants:
Mary Dikas, Christine McDermott, Phyllis Czwakiel, M. Jeannie Sickles, Christina Valentine, Kristin Whitcher
Placements:
• Holiday Inn
• Melvin Roads American Legion Post 1231
• East Greenbush Library
Projects:
Collected school supplies for a classroom in Texas that was affected by Hurricane Harvey
Catskill Academy (Cara Ayotte)
Teacher Assistants:
Leonor Sanchez, Cheryl Bruggemann, Melodybelle Crowell-Morse
Placements:
• Matthew 25 Food Pantry
Ichabod Crane (Beth St. Clair-Bedell)
Teacher Assistants:
Sarah Bailey and Terri Weaver
Placements:
• Barnwell Nursing Home
• Valatie Free Library
• Ichabod Crane CSD
Rensselaer Academy (Lindsay Estaris and Victoria Duncan Strain)
Teacher Assistants:
Christina Burl-Laraway, Esther Riddering, Holly Traver, Kristen Dorr, Melony Merriman, Elizabeth Tobin
Placements:
• East Greenbush Library
• Evergreen Common Nursing Home
• The Taproom (formerly The Sports Grill)
Sackett Educational Center (Melissa Bodenstab)
Job Coach:
Emily Hass and all staff at Sackett
Placements:
• Curtis Lumber
Robin Sobol Transition Academy (formerly Sarah’s Sisters) (Christine Miller)
Teacher Assistants:
Wendy Richards, Wendy Woodward, Terri Wyman
Placements:
• Bootleggers Restaurant
• Troy Public Library
• Unity Sunshine Day Care
• Troy BID
• Arts Center of the Capital Region
The Academy at REC (Melissa Bodenstab)
Teacher Assistants:
Michelle Morin, Kelly Brenneman, Tiffani Favorito, Violeta Loarca, Michele Koch, Natalie Simmons, Ramona Zirn
Placements:
• The Academy at REC
