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01/24/2018 07:30 AMWatch Megan Johns at work and you’ll see a young woman who has elevated the phrase “service with a smile” to new heights.
The 19 year-old North Branford resident is a familiar friendly face to many in her hometown, as well as her neighboring community of Branford and beyond, thanks to happily lending a hand at a mix of at least seven different community and business organizations.
Megan is now in her second year with North Branford Public Schools’ School to Work program. Through it, she’s gaining valuable work experience and life skills, says head special education teacher, Caitlin Roshka. The district provides regular special education programming to students through age 18, when they receive a certificate of completion. Students are then eligible to be assisted with life and work skills programming through School to Work until they reach 21, when they’ll earn their high school diploma.
In addition to Roshka’s oversight, the program is currently supported by a job coach and a paraprofessional. The program has a goal of giving as close to one-to-one assistance as possible. Currently, three students are enrolled in the program, which meets five days a week in a stand-alone, portable unit behind Totoket Valley Elementary School (TVES) in Northford.
“One of the goals to meet state standards is for them to be in the community, and not be in the high school,” says Roshka, adding the location creates a noticeable transition from the students’ days at North Branford High School.
“We come and go as we please, and the students are really separated from their high school experience. They feel like adults, in a different program,” says Roshka. “We go out to job sites for vocational training to gain the experience they need when they go out into the world after they graduate. We also focus on daily living skills like cooking, household tasks, financing, and budgeting; and sometimes we’ll have community outings.”
Megan enjoys community outings like going to the movies (it’s also good life skills practice, from paying for tickets to interacting with people in the community) and likes having many different places to assist and learn new skills through the School to Work program.
“I like having different things to do every week,” says Megan, who was assisting at Community Dining Room (CDR) in Branford when The Sound caught up with her last week.
It’s her second year helping out at CDR, where Megan’s one of two School to Work students gaining hands-on experience. CDR Executive Director Judy Barron already knew of the program, due to inviting past students to assist her while she was serving in her former role as director of North Branford Senior Citizens.
“I would always try to incorporate my [senior] programming to include these students and give them opportunities to learn new skills, so they may obtain employment in the future, as well as learning community service with volunteering,” says Barron. “When I arrived at Community Dining Room, I instantly thought of them, and they have been a great fit.”
Part of Roshka’s role is community outreach to locate organizations and businesses willing to bring in students under the School to Work program criteria, such as allowing a job coach or a paraprofessional to accompany the student and provide additional support.
As a community professional, Barron recognizes the value of supporting the School to Work program and encourages other organizations to get involved as participating sites.
“They’re going to learn skills in life and be able to put that on their résumé, then hopefully they’re going to land a job in their local community, and that’s so important for them,” says Barron. “And it’s really exciting to have the kids here, and see them learning and be able to branch off.”
School to Work vocational and volunteer programming and enjoys successful tie-ins with several other community organizations and businesses.
Through School to Work, in addition to helping out at CDR, Megan assists as a volunteer at Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter, The Food Pantry of North Branford, and North Branford Solid/Hazardous Waste and Recycling Committee plastic film recycling program. In addition, she’s sharpening her vocational skills and gaining work experience by assisting with tasks at local businesses including All Pets Club in Branford, T&J IGA Supermarket in East Haven, and Pexagon Technology Inc. of Branford.
Whether it’s sorting, stocking, assembling, working with animals, or serving the public, Megan says, “I like to stay busy.”
At CDR, she sorts produce (donated by Bishop’s Orchards Farm Market and Big Y Supermarket) that the School to Work students deliver, and also serves clients in the dining room.
“I’m very good at serving people,” says Megan, adding she likes interacting with CDR clients, because she feels helping people makes them “happy.”
“I just say, ‘Here you go,’ and then they say, ‘Thank you,’ and I say, ‘you’re welcome,’” says Megan of her serving style.
Megan’s also happy to help out at All Pet’s Club, where she assists with cleaning and laundering and sometimes even washing a puppy or two. At the animal shelter, Megan helps with the cats, kittens, and rabbits.
To round out all the skills she’s learning, Megan likes stocking shelves at T&J and assisting with assembling tech items, such as flash drives, at Pexagon. All of the volunteer and work experience will go on her résumé to help Megan land a job once she’s received her diploma.
When she’s not active with School to Work programming, Megan likes to share a little down time with her dog, Cooper, and participate in Special Olympics Unified Sports programming.
“We do volleyball, basketball and soccer,” says Megan.
Watching students like Megan as they gain skills, confidence, and independence is always rewarding for the School to Work staff, says Roshka.
“We’re working with them so they’re really getting the best experience before they graduate,” says Roshka.