Nothing Wasted: LEAD Academy Students Build Job Skills While Recycling
At LEAD Academy, students are getting serious about protecting the environment – while also expanding their own skillset. A new recycling program has students in the alternate instructional model (AIM) class building essential life and job skills while also making a difference on their campus and community. 
The LEAD Academy AIM team, alongside community partner GEODIS, started the recycling initiative this school year with the goal to build real-life skills that will translate to the job market and post-secondary opportunities.
“The skills that students have learned from sorting, matching items, matching colors, weighing, addition, following a system, and following a task analysis have given them the tools they need to attend several post-secondary school options,” said Alicia Thompson, an exceptional education assistant at LEAD Academy. “Our students are really demonstrating LEAD’s vision of ready for college, ready for life.”
Jordan Long, the exceptional education teacher who helps oversee the program and students’ progress, highlighted why it is important to create these types of opportunities for students with exceptional abilities: “Our students are often overlooked by society, especially when it comes to vocational opportunities,” he said. “By championing this program at our school we are giving students many valuable experiences and skills that they can offer to the world around them.”
AIM students are not the only ones benefiting from the recycling program. The whole school community is taking part in the movement, and there are even hallway displays that allow students to track how many pounds of paper they have recycled so far.
“This has had a great impact on our school community as it has brought pride to our classes knowing that they are helping to make a positive impact on our environment,” added Long.
“We hope our students learn to become more self-reliant and gain valuable job skills. We want them to be able to see that they bring valuable skills to our school and community and there is a job and place for everyone in this world.” –Jordan Long, Exceptional Education Teacher, LEAD Academy.
Long and Thompson both predict that this project will inspire change beyond LEAD Academy, as students take the joy of recycling back home to their families. They also plan to expand this impactful initiative to LEAD Cameron as well.
“Our goal is to continue to give our students real-life skills that they can take to any job training facility and later be employable,” said Thompson. “We hope that this schoolwide initiative will not only inspire students recycling, but our staff as well.”
Each day that students show up and take part in this recycling initiative, they are showing up for themselves, their classmates, their community, and the planet – and ultimately preparing themselves for life.
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