To say Ms. Alexandra Sahady’s classroom has transformed is an understatement. Her high school classroom now looks more like an apartment with a bedroom, kitchen and laundry area. The transformation, which has taken place thanks to several generous donations, has advanced Ms. Sahady’s goal of helping her students learn and practice skills they will use in their everyday lives.
The classroom changes began earlier this school year thanks to a donation from the South Park Class of 1976. The donation allowed Ms. Sahady to purchase a washer and dryer for her classroom. To Ms. Sahady’s surprise and delight, the donations continued, totaling $5,000. In addition to the donation from the Class of 1976, donations were received from the DiIorio family, Mr. and Mrs. Flotta and Staley Electric. Soon, the South Park High School facilities staff was working to install a kitchen in the classroom. Using a portion of the donations, the students were able to shop for the kitchen appliances and supplies they needed to make their kitchen operational and complete.
Now, students are able to practice skills instead of talking about them. Their redesigned classroom gives them the space to gain realistic experience with the help of Ms. Sahady and the paraprofessionals at South Park High School. Students are assigned different vocational jobs and activities that relate to every part of the room. While some students are doing laundry, others are making the bed or following a recipe. On Wednesday, January 17, the students baked and decorated sugar and chocolate chip cookies to enjoy. Ms. Sahady says her students are reaping the rewards of the changes.
“The overwhelming support of our program has made our students truly appreciate these powerful acts of kindness that will greatly impact their future,” Ms. Sahady said. “Seeing my students’ faces light up when they saw the completed room for the first time is a blessing I will never forget!”
Ms. Sahady now hopes to schedule students to participate in cooking, hosting events, doing laundry and planning meals. She said practicing these skills will give them confidence in completing these responsibilities at home and in the community.