The Pathways Program has helped students at North Bergen High School with cognitive disorders complete their studies and act independently in the real world.
Its purpose is to allow students to figure out what they want to do with their lives, to gain life skills that parents normally provide, and most importantly, to learn how to advocate for themselves, said Special Services Director Robert Kornberg last week.
“I think the most important thing they have gained is being able to feel confident enough to order a slice of pizza or take the bus,” said Special Education Coordinator Farah Rodino. “Confident enough to say ‘Hey, I’ve done this before and I can do it again.’ It’s about building self-esteem.”
“I want to be a teacher for kindergarten [students].” – Heidi Parra
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Whalen said that by exploring opportunities in his neighborhood, such as the North Bergen Police Department, he has learned that it is “better to know what is going on here, than actually not knowing or guessing.”
Pathways Teacher Angel Rodriguez has taught special education classes in the district for almost 10 years.
“The things that you and I take for granted they really have come a long way with,” said Rodriguez.
Building a new program
Kornberg said the school system used to send 22 to 25 high school students out of the district for special education each year. Each student’s education could cost up to $16,000, and their transportation costs could soar to $40,000 a year. Combined, this can add up to close to $1 million per year.
Because of this, he said the district began to work on creating a program that was as good, if not better, than the programs they were sending students to.
For an extra classroom, they remodeled what originally was a maintenance garage at the high school for $156,800. The state has promised to contribute $90,944 for the project. The classroom is not only equipped with desks, but with a stove, washer and dryer machines, and a living room area.
The cost to the district per student now will be around $10,000. Kornberg said that the district has saved $300,000 this year.
High School Principal Pascual Tennaro said that a large amount of the success of the program has been due to Rodriguez and fellow Pathways Teacher Donna Graziano, who has taught special needs students for 31 years in the district.
Learning life skills
“If you’re a parent of a handicapped child, you really feel that you can never get older, because they need to depend on you forever,” said Tennaro.
Rodriguez said that in September, one student did not know what a vacuum cleaner was or how to use it. The students did not know how to wash their own clothes, how to order and pay for a meal at a restaurant, or how to take a bus.
Lynn Teta, the supervisor of special services, said that students are now learning how to live on their own, where before parents did everything for them.
Now students vacuum every day, wash their own clothes, and learn how to be out in their communities with the help of their teachers.
Graziano said that students are also routinely taken on field trips throughout the community to explore job options and also to learn their surroundings. These range from the police station, local restaurants, delicatessens, laundry mats, ice cream parlors and hair salons. Students get to see if one of these places would possibly be a good fit for a job, and they get to learn about their community.
Students also work in the high school’s greenhouse twice a week.
Teta said that previously most of the students were sent to Bergen County, where they did similar things, but they were learning about a community they did not live in.
Gaining confidence
Another aspect to the program is Transition Coordinator Luke Cardinale, who has worked in the district for a few years. He helps special needs children find what they want to do in life, whether attending college or finding a job. Along with helping the students in the Pathways Program, he is responsible for the school at large.
Meanwhile, aforementioned junior Kevin Whalen has been helping out with the janitorial staff at the high school and may get a related job next year.
“It has taught me that you need janitors, because you don’t necessarily want everything to look dirty,” he said.
Another student, sophomore Heidi Parra, said that she feels more independent since starting the program.
One of her favorite experiences out in the community was when they visited a local ice cream parlor, where they were allowed to make their own strawberry and coconut ice cream.
“I want to be a teacher for kindergarten [students],” said Parra.
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.