Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 has partnered with Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center in Bangor, PA to offer a new community based learning site for member district students with life skills needs. The students who visit the site regularly are enrolled in the Life Skills Support classrooms of Kathryn McCormick and Pamela Esbin at Pen Argyl High School.
The students learn and practice a variety of vocational skills at the Kirkridge campus that includes a commercial kitchen, dining area, bedrooms, bathrooms, and trails. These experiences turn into data that is used by each student's educational team for focused transition assessments and planning.
In the first month of students visiting Kirkridge, they have practiced and worked on cleaning, washing dishes, bed making, vacuuming, folding laundry, raking, general ground maintenance, and made Christmas cookies together.
In the first month of students visiting Kirkridge, they have practiced and worked on cleaning, washing dishes, bed making, vacuuming, folding laundry, raking, general ground maintenance, and made Christmas cookies together.
Pamela Esbin sees tremendous growth opportunities for her students at Kirkridge, "Our experience has been amazing and my students look forward to going every week. We embrace this new experience at Kirkridge and the staff there are wonderful to work with...we look forward to this continued partnership!"
