During the school day, however, they are serving another extremely important task.  

These buses are a vital part of a transition program which is provided to our special needs students at Wando High School.  

Students are given many opportunities to make the transition from school into the adult world of independence.

They are taught how to shop for groceries and other necessities, how to access public transportation, and how to acquire work skills that would be necessary before they may obtain paid or supported employment.  

This program has been enormously successful over the years, and countless numbers of students are now working independently in the Mount Pleasant community.  

One employee at McAlis-ter’s Deli was named Employee of the Year for 2008, and many students have held the positions obtained while at Wando for more than five years after graduation. The Charleston County School District Food Service Department has done their part in hiring six special needs students throughout the past three years.  

However, this program could not work with just the support of the school organizations alone.

It has been through the continuous support and dedication of wonderful businesses in the community that has made this program so successful. I am sure you might have seen students helping stock the new shipment at Old Navy or re-shelving the DVDs at Hollywood Video or NetFlix when it was in business. You might also have caught them setting up the restaurant at On the Border, learning food prep at Just Fresh or Moe’s, or learning to bag groceries or rotate stock at Bi-Lo, Piggly Wiggly, Publix or Food Lion.

You might also have spotted them helping out in the lawn and garden department at ACE Hardware, sizing merchandise at Stein Mart, or re-stocking Christ-mas ornaments at Hall-mark.

Every regular shopper at TJMaxx knows that students arrive on Mondays and Wednesdays to help process the many shoes that flow off their shelves.

These and many other businesses are vital to the success of this transition program.

They are willing to accept our students into their place of business and provide stimulating and appropriate work for them, which allows them to learn necessary employability skills that many of us take for granted, like staying on task, asking questions, and working at a steady rate.

Though we have not been able to name all of the businesses who participate in this program here, please know that you are making a huge contribution to the success of Wando’s program and to the future of very special students.

We are always looking for new and enriching job sites, so if you would like to be a part of our transition team, please call us at 881-8200 and ask to speak to Karen Jones, Norma Kulseth, or Michelle Schanon.

These talented teachers/transition specialists would love to work with you and find ways that your business can become a part of this very valuable program.