Questar III’s Catskill Academy is participating in several partnerships with the community to provide additional opportunities for students to gain social and community experience.
Some of the younger students meet as a group with a representative from the Catskill Public Library once a week to work through books together to expose students to more literature than they may normally see. Older students have two options- one through the Cornell Cooperative Extension and the other with a local soup kitchen.
Jessie O’Dunne from the Catskill Public Library reads “The One and Only Ivan” to students
Jessie O’Dunne comes to Catskill Academy each Wednesday for about 40 minutes to read with students in third through sixth grade. At the beginning of their time together, he reviews briefly what happened in the chapters he read to the class last time, and asks the students questions if they remembered this character or that character’s name, who was doing what when the story left off, etc. He does the same while reading, occasionally stopping to pose a question to the group or to answer questions the students have about the story.
This partnership began with a connection a teaching assistant had with the library, which led to O’Dunne being a part of the summer school program. It was a hit with the students, so the relationship continued into the school year.
Working with the library provides students a number of things they might not get otherwise. Not only is it connecting them to the community, it’s also exposing them to what a library has to offer – without actually being there.
“Jessie began by reading some choose your own adventure books, which the students loved. He also worked with them on following step-by-step directions with creating duct tape wallets,” teacher Julie Whittam said.
Most recently, Jessie began reading “The One and Only Ivan” with the students, and Whittam says some of the students are enjoying it so much, they’ve even begun reading it themselves outside of school.
This vertical garden is on loan from the Cornell Cooperative Extension
High school age students have different opportunities available to them. Nancy Braley’s class is working with the Cornell Cooperative Extension on a vertical garden. Students take care of the garden and have been growing several vegetables including spinach and basil among others.
Students from Braley’s class as well as from Nora Haran’s class also work in the Camp Grace Inc. soup kitchen in Catskill two days a week. While there, students not only help prep, cook, and clean up, but they also actively interact with those coming to the soup kitchen.
Mari Warfel, Catskill Academy’s social worker, Haran, and Braley all say one of the biggest takeaways for the students is a boost in confidence while also gaining some social interaction outside the school building.
“One student who never speaks really opened up, he was shaking people’s hands, smiling saying ‘thank you for coming, nice to see you’ and things like that,” Haran said.
“It helps the students be a part of the community, and they feel better about themselves when they go,” Warfel said.
These two partnerships for the older students at Catskill Academy do more than teach some skills and allow for social interactions, though. Participating students also earn time for their CDOS (Career Development and Occupational Studies) credential.
CDOS is one of the new credentials New York State is allowing for high school graduation for special education students either in place of or in addition to the Regents Diploma. The CDOS credential signifies that a student is ready for entry-level jobs.
To earn a CDOS credential, students must complete a Career Plan, showing that he or she has met the NYS CDOS standards, completed at least two units of study in career/technical education (CTE) courses and/or work-based learning experiences (like those with the vertical garden and soup kitchen), and has an employability profile completed by his or her school.
While a CDOS credential cannot be used to apply to college, trade schools, or the military, it does provide a student with relevant experience in the work force and will help in the student’s job search for an entry-level position.
To learn more about CDOS and the other credentials New York State offers, visit this page.
