AURORA | From making products to using their customer service skills, students at Crossroads Transition Center are putting their life skills to the test at their new shop filled with beverages and handmade goods.
Crossroads Trading Post is the latest addition to Crossroad Transition Center, Aurora Public School’s program for special needs students aged 18 to 21.
The program’s shop was designed so that students who are not ready to work in the community can still practice the skills they’ve learned at the program.
“It’s about helping students realize that they do have a place in the workforce and helping families also see the possibilities that their children have,” said Tom Myers, director of educational support services. “They are so capable of doing lots of different things, but until they actually have the opportunity to build those skills, they may not know what they’re able to do.”
Students like Lupita Sandoval and Katerin Lopez Olmedo make products to sell at the non-profit store. On Thursday morning, they were tasked with working at the “barkery” making dog biscuits, from making the dough to using a bone-shaped cookie cutter to cut out each biscuit.
In another classroom, students used small irons to place heat transfer vinyls on tee-shirts and made candles in preparation for Mother’s Day.
Others, like Deyanira Garcia Moncado, manned the cash register at the cozy shop.
Unlike traditional schools, the students who attend Crossroads Transition Center are not confined to a regular bell schedule with typical courses. Instead, they prepare to live more independent lives by learning job skills, soft skills and everyday life skills.
The students, many of whom cannot drive, learn to use the RTD and make bus connections so they can go to the grocery store or go to the doctor’s office. They learn to count money and learn to give change. They also learn to do chores around the house.
Students in the program also have the opportunity to volunteer at nearby businesses like Burger King and Pickens Technical College.
Crossroads Trading Post operates on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but it isn’t fully open to the public like typical stores. Students and staff have come in to buy beverages, and the students who operate the store have made merch for the district, like buttons for Bus Driver Appreciation Week.
Great article! I believe it’s not the Crossroads Training Center, but the Crossroads Transition Center.
A Transition Program is a process to help students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) decide what they want to do after high school. It also helps them figure out how to get there. The purpose is to help 18 – 21 year olds prepare to be independent young adults.
Awesome program! People helping people – we need more of it!