The 2006-2007 school year marks the beginning of MACS's (Meeting and Catering Services) fourth successful year! The continued goal of this program is to allow special needs students the opportunity to learn the skills needed to excel in the workplace.
There are several day-to-day jobs that are the responsibility of the MACS students. The first responsibility is preparing for meetings, which includes coffee/tea/soda/water preparation, snack basket set-up, room set-up, etc. The students are also responsible for the Munchies Mart Cart, which is a full service mobile snack, and drink cart that is taken to all the employees of the Harris Hill Administration building for purchasing. In addition to these jobs, we have a larger version of the Munchies Mart Cart that is available during lunch with numerous lunch and snack items to accommodate those in the building.
As the program has grown and established itself, we have added some additional projects such as the "Special Lunches." Several days during the school year, the MACS students prepare and serve lunch to those in the building who wish to participate. We have Baked Potato Day, Nacho Day, Frito Pie Day, and Taco Salad Day. Another project that we have incorporated into our curriculum is our "Morning Express." The Morning Express, which is open every Friday morning, is a breakfast store, where they sell cappuccino, hot chocolate, and breakfast foods.
All of these projects allow the students to learn proper social skills in the workplace, the skills to work with co-workers, money management skills, making change for customers, working with customers and their needs, accounting for items sold, communication skills, and budgeting, just to name a few.
They also go out into the community learning skills of independence such as DART training, collecting and filling out applications for employment. They visit places of potential employment such as restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, hardware stores, child-care centers, etc. We focus on the individual students and their interests when visiting places of employment. We want to give these students as much experience and knowledge so they can further their productivity in the world.
We have several students who have begun their employment history with GISD as summer maintenance workers at the Harris Hill Administration building. We also have students that have attained employment while at MACS and continue to be gainfully employed.
Elvia Flores, an active community volunteer, saw a need for young girls in
grades 5-8 to have higher goals for their personal lives, academic careers,
and adult life beyond. Aided with seed money from Kiwanis and the BEST
Education Foundation, she founded the “Girls With Goals” program
at a neighborhood elementary school and middle school.
The participating young women are introduced to activities designed to build their self-esteem, self-confidence, and cultural awareness. Through regular meetings and field trips, the girls gain leadership skills as they meet successful role models in a variety of occupations and a world filled with limitless career opportunities.
The program has provided speakers such as Courtney Taylor from SHW Architects who gave kits to the girls so they could learn to design their own homes. The girls have also been exposed to the Cultural Arts such as the "Snow White and the Seve
n Dwarfs" production at the Patty Granville Art Center.
The original group that started in 1999 are seniors this year. Every year we average 40 girls in the program. This year, in the 5th grade, I have a girl whose sisters were in the program before her. One is in high school and the other is at Bussey Middle School. I also have a 5th grader whose sister was in the program in the 5th grade and now goes to Bussey instead of Sellers Middle School to continue to be in the Girls With Goals.
One of the goals the business community expressed during the early stages of BEST was the need for a better-educated workforce. They cited a need for young adults entering industry to have better skills in math, science and foreign languages. Thus, Texas Scholars was born. Students are encouraged to choose advanced classes in math, science, and other areas in lieu of “easy” classes that might yield a higher GPA at graduation.
The efforts have paid off. In 2004, Garland ISD, the BEST Foundation, and Raytheon feted over 2,000 graduating Texas Scholars at a celebration hosted at the Mesquite Rodeo Convention Center. Our program is used as one of the models for the State Scholars Initiative being implemented throughout the United States.
Scholarly Encounter —
"I know who you are," the young voice said. "Just
a minute, and I will tell you your name," he added as I was going through the buffet line as a visitor at a local Noon Exchange Club meeting. After a brief pause the student repeated both my first and last name. At that point I was a bit taken aback as my mind was racing to place where we had met.
Then it dawned on me...he was a middle school student from a local campus where I had spoken about Texas Scholars the week before. Since 1992, business leaders are recruited to go into the classrooms of all eighth-grade students in the Garland Independent School District to share real world experiences. Additionally, we encourage them to challenge themselves to choose a more rigorous field of study during their high school years so they will have greater options when they graduate from high school.
"Well, tell me what you decided to do," I queried. He grinned widely and said, "I went down to the counselor's office and changed my schedule for next year." "Awesome," was the best word I could muster. Then I shared some more heartfelt words and told him how he had made my day. You see, over the years I have wondered if what we say really makes a difference to these future leaders. Do they actually listen to us since we are not their parents or teachers? The school district has gone from 700 to over 2300 graduates a year who achieve the Texas Scholars recognition. I knew that in my head but always wondered in my heart. This brief encounter re-emphasized, that yes, we can make a difference in another's life. The class lasted maybe 55 minutes and there was much dialogue during that time, but in those few minutes something had clicked with him.
Suddenly, that day at lunch, the teacher became the student. I was the enlightened and encouraged one. Just how powerful are our spoken words? How often are we going through our daily grind and don't give a second thought about what we say? I had helped him make what I thought was a good decision. He in turn used his words to encourage me. Next year, as I enter the classroom yet one more time, I will approach it with more reverence. Who knows which students need to hear a positive and encouraging remark on that very day? They will be in that classroom. I may never again know which ones they are, but they will be in there.
Michele Hawkins Reimer
2006
Verizon, Inc. gave the Foundation a generous $20,000 donation that was used to fund the first School Site Grants. Most of the grant proposals selected focus on improving reading skills and building self-esteem. Some of the winning proposals include the following:
This software package was implemented
during the 2001-2002 school year. The schools at that time were Freeman, Park Crest and Daugherty Elementary Schools. As of the 2004-2005 school year, the program has expanded to include three additional elementaries including Handley, Centerville, and Shorehaven Elementary Schools.
This software purchase was made possible by a $ 21,000.00 grant by Verizon to the BEST Education Foundation. The campuses involved with the grant are all Title I campuses, working with a large population of youngsters from low-income families. The software helps the staff at these schools meet several state and federal mandates regarding the " No Child Left Behind" program.
This past spring, the Foundation assisted the family of Matt Shubzda establish
a scholarship program at Naaman Forest High School in his honor.
Matt, a 1994 graduate of Naaman Forest High School and a Navy pilot, was killed during a training mission off the coast of California in 2002.
The memorial fund was initiated with the generous donations made by friends of Matt and his family. For two years, the family hosted a golf tournament at Firewheel Golf Park to add to the coffers of the scholarship fund. The first year alone, they raised over $30,000.00 - an very impressive sum for a first-time tournament. The annual Matt Shubzda Scholarship will be presented annually to a graduating senior who best exemplifies overall excellence and has demonstrated active participation in extracurricular activities as well as strong leadership and academic skills.
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