FULL TRANSCRIPT (with timecode)
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Welcome to Voices, a national award-winning podcast brought to you by the Seneca Valley School District.
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Jeff Krakoff: This is Jeff Krakoff. Today we're joined by Jess Pyle, who's a transition coordinator as well as a parent and teacher, Angela Kotula. Thanks for joining us today.
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Jess Pyle: Thanks for having me.
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Jeff Krakoff: So we've got a topic. Seneca Valley has a community based vocational training program, also known as CBVT. I know it's been around for about a decade or so. Jess, can you tell us what it's about in a nutshell?
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Jess Pyle: Sure. So our community based vocational training program began here in the district in around 2011, 2012. We have students who work both on campus and different opportunities and then off campus at different community sites. Currently, we have three different on campus sites that we students work at during the school day to build vocational skills. Those sites are Raider Roast, which is a coffee shop in our senior high school, which opened in February of 2017. Raider Gear, which is a clothing kiosk that we have on the secondary campus that opened in January 2019. And then Seneca Square, which is a smoothie shop in our intermediate high school building, which opened in October of 2019.
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Jeff Krakoff: Okay. So as coordinator of Transition Planning, Career and Vocation Education, which we shortened a little bit to transition coordinator, what do you do there?
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Jess Pyle: So my job is to prepare students for life after they leave high school, and that begins when students are turning 14 within the duration of their IEP. And those things that we look at as an IEP member early on or career awareness and exploration activities. And that transition process continues throughout a student's high school years, specifically looking at areas of post-secondary education, employment, independent living and then agency involvement. So I am. A member of the team that that kind of assist members of the team and contribute to the development and implementation of those transition related components that are in a student's IEP to make sure that the IEP is compliant and effective and that students have opportunities related to all four of those areas.
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Jeff Krakoff: Okay. So just to clarify, the CBVT program, is that only for students with IEPs?
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Jess Pyle: It is. Yes.
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Jeff Krakoff: All right. So when you think about all the things that you do, what are some tangible ways that the program's preparing students for tomorrow?
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Jess Pyle: So when we have five job coaches and we have two transition specialists that work alongside with the students in the community. So, like I had mentioned before, those on campus sites, that's where students start out in our vocational readiness class and have the opportunity to work on those on campus sites. Currently, we have about 54 students who are working in our Raider Roast, Raider Gear and an additional site this year is No Cost to Shop, which is like a free door that is on campus. And then we have and that is typically for one period where students work and then they work on campus additionally at our smoothie shop, Seneca Square, and that site is for three periods. So that kind of builds the students work, stamina duration, listening to a supervisor, learning those soft skills that students need to learn to get into the community. And then that's typically done in like ninth and 10th grade and then starting in 11th grade or sometimes earlier, depending on the IEP team decision, then students are going out into the community. So those sites we are at 14 sites locally within our community where students get those work skills. And that is with a job coach and our transition specialist to build those skills and in order for students to eventually, the goal would be for them to obtain competitive, integrated employment in the community.
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Jeff Krakoff: Okay. So you mentioned there's 14 sites. What types of locations are we talking about?
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Jess Pyle: So we try to look at all of the Seneca Valley career pathways, the five career pathways and give students opportunities and all of those pathways. So we are at sites like the Pittsburgh Penguins Lemieux Complex in Cranberry, we're at Dairy Queen and Fun for All, the Marriott North, the Courtyard Marriott, Walgreens, Giant Eagle, Gardeners Greenhouse, Fresh Thyme, the YMCA, Chick fil A. So we try to give our students the opportunities in a variety of those areas.
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Jeff Krakoff: Well, appreciate it. What a great program. Now, Angela. You in addition to being a middle school librarian, you've also had at least one of your kids go through the program. I know you've got you've got a senior as well. From your perspective as a parent. What do you think? What is your family think about the program?
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Angela Kotula: Um, this program has been a life changing element for our child. You know, I'll tell you, as a parent of a special needs kid, we have like, a lot of worries, you know, as my kid going to, you know, be able to go to school and is my kid going to be able to live independently? And one of the reasons why I chose to move my family to this district was for all of the different resources that Seneca provides. And this CBVT program has provided my son with the opportunity to be competitively employed. And as soon as he graduated from the district, he was able to get a job with a well-known company, and he is currently working there as an employee with absolutely no hiccups at this point and give all the credit to that program.
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Jeff Krakoff: Wow. So that's real world success proven right there.
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Angela Kotula: Yes.
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Jeff Krakoff: So are there particular ways that you can point to that the program helped him get to where he is?
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Angela Kotula: Yeah, I think that a really good piece of it are the job coaches and being able to get out into those real world jobs. It gave my child the chance to interact with like managers and employees in that real world setting. And like if he were to make a mistake, then, you know, the job coaches and the school district was there to help him learn from that mistake. And then, you know, the people who work for those companies were, you know, very willing to let him learn and teach them. So now whenever he went and applied for a job, he can think back to maybe things that he maybe could have done differently and apply that now in a setting where he's now working all by himself.
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Jeff Krakoff: Got it. Well, let me I'm going to ask each of you the same question. We'll start with you, Angela. For any parents, students out there listening to this, or is there any other information we didn't discuss that you think is important for them to know about the program?
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Angela Kotula: Um, I think that the program is like just from a parent perspective, I think it's absolutely fantastic. I knew at a certain point that my son wouldn't be able to go to college and I will tell you that he tried Vo-Tech, which is a fantastic program as well, and it just wasn't a good fit for him. My other son did Vo-Tech and he was really successful there. Um, but this is a program that was an excellent fit for him and really prepared him to be, you know, competitively employable. And I would highly recommend it to any parent. Um, I just can't tell you how life-changing it's been for us.
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Jeff Krakoff: That's awesome to hear. Jess, how about you? Is there anything else you'd like to share with people before I let you go.
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Jess Pyle: I would just like to say that an important piece of the puzzle also is agency involvement. So at Seneca Valley we work with different community agencies, um, and through the IEP team invite those local agencies to be a member and contribute to the IEP team. And organizations like the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) is a great resource for individuals and students to get connected with, um, during their like 10th or 11th grade year. And then the counselor from could be a member of the team because a lot of times moving forward they can provide additional maybe services for after graduation that Seneca Valley would stop at graduation and then OVR could continue. So certainly, you know, agencies like OVR and the Center for Community Resources are great local agencies that I would recommend that parents get involved with if they choose.
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Jeff Krakoff: All right. So if a parent is interested in the community based vocational training program, where do they go? I assume there's information on the district website, right?
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Jess Pyle: There is, yes. And I would recommend them starting and contacting their student's case manager. So that point person who would be in charge of writing and maintaining their child's IEP. I would start there and then we could get connected.
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Jeff Krakoff: All right. Well, thank you both so much. That was Jess Pyle and Angela Kotula. Thanks again for joining us. It was great discussion.
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Angela Kotula: Thank you.
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Jess Pyle: Thanks. Have a great day. Yeah.
