TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Vail School District hopes to empower students to employment with a new addition to their campus. It's an old Airstream that was donated to the district and will now be used as a resource for students and community members.
It's called the “Dream Stream”. It will be used by special education students through the transition from school to work program. Plus, the career and technical education marketing students will do the marketing for the "Dream Stream" too.
Students will get to use the “Dream Stream” as a mobile snack bar to learn some job skills like money handling and customer service. But, it’s the connections that Vail school leaders want students to establish early on.
“Our goal is to start with making connections among the schools. A lot of times our high school students don't always get to go back to their elementary or middle school to see the teachers that really impacted them. So we're hoping to start there and then we're looking to put it at businesses within the community and just bring everybody together," said Michelle Wood, Director of Special Education for Vail School District.
The main goal is to interact with an inclusive community that gives all students an equal opportunity for employment, no matter what challenges they may face.
“To have a student or have a child who has great need and to know that one day they get to have opportunities like this that will help them transition and help make them part of our community.... It's what gives a parent hope," said Aron Schmidt, Director of Career and Technical Education for Vail School District. "For me to know when my son one day could be working in this very structure in this very building one day when he's older. It makes my heart very full."
Living Branch Church was able to donate some money to get this up and running for students and community members.
"This is just one of many examples of where things like this don't happen unless people link arms and come together. We believe in our community, we believe in the students and we believe in creating an inclusive community and giving all students equal opportunity for employment," said Rob Davis, Pastor of Living Branch Church.
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Brooke Chau is a reporter for KGUN 9. She was a part of Fresno State's newscast, Fresno State Focus and interned at KFSN-ABC30 in Fresno, CA before coming to KGUN 9. Share your story ideas and important issues with Brooke by emailing brooke.chau@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
