The LEAD program is one of the best keep secrets in Norwood. It is a wonderful program offered by the Norwood Public Schools for special education students post-high school.
Started in 2006 by Helen Wyche, former Director of Human Services, and Patty Griffin Starr, the mother of a special needs student, the program offers young adults, age 18 to 22, a means of transitioning into independent life within the community. Meghan Mottau, school behaviorist and liaison for the LEAD program, said the program focuses on functional life-skills.
“The most challenging aspect of the program is that it changes every year, because we need to mold the program to new groups that come in, which means acquiring new job sites and making curriculum changes tailored to the current group of students," Mottau said.
Today, the LEAD program curriculum focuses on challenging academics, social skills, health and wellness, and activities of daily living that help promote self confidence, self esteem, self advocacy and vocational training.
The school setting is casual but structured, and the interactions between students and teachers are filled with good humor and obvious love and respect for one another.
Antonio, one of the program’s more articulate and gregarious students, stated he “loves coming here and learning to use different skills every day.” He is enamored of his teacher, Rob LaDue, and enthusiastically talks about everything he has learned and continues to learn from him.
Nick, a less vocal but no less communicative student, adores former high school principal, George Usevich, becoming totally engaged and giving two thumbs-up when Usevich’s photo is brought up on the screen during a presentation. Nick especially likes working at Norwood’s Residence Inn folding towels for the laundry, and he likes doing interviews on NPA-TV.
Once students turn 22, they must leave the program. The LEAD staff takes great care in preparing them for their future endeavors. The group says they will miss Katie, who will graduate the program this year and move on to Lifeworks, a similar program.
Katie is currently employed part-time by The Big Y. She is quite shy but happily answered questions and animatedly talked about her outside activities. She especially loves Friday’s because that’s when the students run the school’s store (the Mustang Corral). She also loves working at the Women’s Community Thrift Shop and said she sometimes scores a great pair of shoes to add to her collection!
Currently, there are seven students in the program; the staff consists of teacher Rob LaDue, and two paraprofessionals/job coaches Mike Finnerty, a retired school teacher, and Donna Doliner, who has been involved with the program since its inception.
Some students come every day; others have varying schedules. All of the students are very active. LaDue provided insight into the typical day of a student in the LEADS program. They start in the classroom with lessons that pertain to their transition goals, including vocational activities such as how to complete a job application or prepare for a job interview. Next, they will work on managing money, social skills, and phone skills, taking messages or ordering food over the phone. Another day they might discuss the benefits of having a job or another subject relevant to being an adult. They talk about comfort zones and how to move outside those zones, and about non-verbal communication and how to interpret body language.
After lunch, students go out to work in the community based on their interests. Each day, one or two students might stock shelves at Rocky’s while others are doing something else, such as volunteering at another work site or doing research to hone their investigative and computer skills.
Students currently volunteer at Rocky’s Ace Hardware, in Walpole; the Norwood Theater; Norwood Meals on Wheels; Women’s Community Thrift Shop, Norwood Residence Inn; Norwood High School Library; and Kevin’s favorite, Golden Ridge Farm Doggie Day Care.
They also help with the Village Center Swap Shop (also known as the Free Cycle Center), assist the Norwood Scholarship Foundation with mailings, and every Friday, operate their store, the Mustang Corral, where they sell greeting cards, snacks, drinks and muffins to those who work in the Savage Center.
They hold a weekly cooking group where one of the parents, Laurie diNapoli, teaches cooking skills. They also do a monthly news report on NPA-TV to work on their interview skills and they frequently make trips to Norwood Bank to learn about and use the bank’s services.
When asked what the most rewarding thing about the program is, Mottau said, “Seeing how much progress students have made toward independence is most rewarding to me.”
Answering the same question, LaDue said, “It’s seeing my smiling students everyday, with their wonderful sense of humor.” Much laughter and chatter ensued after LaDue made his comment.
For more information about the LEAD program, call 781-440-5835.
Donna Lane is a Norwood-based writer, lecturer and designer. You can reach her at addictedgardener@verizon.net.
Issue Date:
March, 2017
Article Body: