Community Partners Program – preparing our students for future employment.
As the Coordinator of Vocational and Career Services at League School, Amy Faraone is always looking to add local businesses and organizations to the school’s ever-expanding Community Partners Program. Now in its 20th year of operation, the program provides opportunities for the school’s students to work in supportive environments where they can refine their social interaction skills while providing employers with a reliable source of manpower.
This year, some 15 student crews are participating in the program. Currently, there are 24 different businesses and organizations that open their doors to host League School students in some capacity. Working closely with a team of educators at League School, students in the program indicate where they’d be interested in working. The program matches students with employers and coordinates their weekly work schedules. When students go to work at these organizations, they go as a crew accompanied by a Job Coach who directs their efforts while at the work site. And no matter where the students work, their employers are universal in their praise.
At Mansfield Shredding, Co-owner, Kathy Harney, was effusive with her praise. She finds the League students to be dedicated, attentive, and best of all, always smiling – “they are a true joy to work with.” She also commented that the students really seem to enjoy the sorting and shredding tasks they’re given. She also noted that the students who had been working there for a longer period of time were always ready to help train other students who had just started – that sort of employee cooperation is another hallmark of the participants in the program.
Similar words of praise were voiced by Maria Hall and Sylvia Cucua who run the nutritional program at Walpole High School. League School students working in the cafeteria there help with a number of tasks, including salad preparation, fruit cutting and and preparation, and refrigerator stocking. Sylvia praised her student workers for being very cognizant of sanitary measures (always washing their hands before touching the food and wearing hairnets when required) while Maria commented about how exceptionally polite and dependable the League students are.
At Big Y, Dave Openshaw, head of the Big Y Bakery Department characterized the students as terrific workers. While there, they handle a variety of tasks at the store, including cake and cookie baking, helping with the fish service, and putting together pizza boxes. He has student crews working at the store every weekday at various times during the day. He said he wished that other Big Y stores at which he worked had similar feeder programs that featured workers as conscientious and dependable as his League School crews.
Amy Faraone is continuously striving to expand the program that her predecessor, Maureen Pratt, originated, working tirelessly to make sure that all the League Students who want to work have a place to work. One of the many benefits of participating in the program is that students are exposed to a variety of work environments and occupations. Amy appreciates each and every one of the school’s community partners.
The Community Partner Program is all about success – providing League School students with the opportunity to refine both their work and social interaction skills. Without the kindness and generosity of program participants in opening their doors to League’s students, the observable growth in the students’ self-esteem and confidence would assuredly be less pronounced.
To be part of League School’s Community Partners Program, please contact Amy Faraone at League School of Greater Boston via e-mail at afaraone@leagueschool.com.
