Dear Editor,
Merrill is a fantastic community filled with small businesses that care enough to share their skills and knowledge with many of our students with special education needs via our work study program. We would like to take this opportunity to let our community know about the tremendous support provided by these employers.
The work study program is a specially designed program for students with special education needs in which they are able to receive hands on training and employment support, as well as earn high school credits toward graduation. These experiences are beneficial to their future educational and career plans and provide business with opportunities to develop a highly skilled workforce from within the local high school population.
The most rewarding part of this program is seeing our students who have struggled in the classroom for much of their lives meet success on the job site. In fact, to the unsuspecting eye, members of the public may observe our students “at work” and never know the struggles they face in the classroom.
Our local businesses provide guidance, training and vocational education beyond classroom instruction. The dedication and cooperative effort between the school and businesses ensure that MAPS Special Education students are given the opportunity to gain valuable employability skills. This program allows students to begin to learn how to transfer what they learn in the classroom and apply it to real life situations.
The time, guidance, patience and partnership are truly invaluable to our students. We are immensely grateful for the continual support from the Merrill community. We urge you to support your local businesses, especially those who have given so much of their time and experience to our youth.
Respectfully,
Craig Hoffman & Amy Heimerl
SPED Work Study Coordinators