Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include the original press release sent by the School District of Fort Atkinson to Fort Atkinson Online and a statement made by Pathways program teacher Rachael Breyer.
Students within the School District of Fort Atkinson special eduction program, called Pathways, recently detailed a Fort Atkinson Police Department squad car. The program includes a car-washing experience as part of its curriculum, according to information released by the school district.
According to the district, the School District of Fort Atkinson’s Pathways program provides instruction and employment within a functional-based curriculum for students ages 18-21.
As a year-end project, students in the Pathways program washed and detailed Officer Dan Hefty’s squad car. Six students participated in the car-washing experience, with each noting that they enjoyed “hearing the police siren, making the car shiny and clean for the officer, seeing the differences between a civilian car versus a police car, taking a picture with the police car and officer, and doing something fun with friends on the last day of school.
“This was an amazing opportunity for students to be involved and give back to the Fort Atkinson community,” information released by the school district stated.
The release continued: “The goal of the program is to provide students with disabilities transition-focused services within a community-based environment. Pathways provides support and opportunities for young adults who are in the process of transitioning into their post-secondary life. Pathways works with individuals who need to continue working on their vocational, daily living, transition and social communication skills, as well as self-advocacy. The program focuses on learning daily living skills such as budgeting, grocery shopping, cooking, and washing laundry, while then applying those skills through real-world experiences.”
One of the components of the program is its car wash business.
“The car wash provides an opportunity for employment, as well as giving students an opportunity to make money. Students wash and detail staff vehicles twice a week. The money that is made each week goes towards weekly social outings. Social outings provide students with the opportunity to participate as a group in a fun recreational atmosphere in the community,” the release continued.
“I enjoy having friends to do the car wash with. I have fun doing the car wash each week and going on social outings with my friends,” Pathways Program student Kevin Dietz-Patterson was quoted as saying in the release.
The release continued: “The car wash business teaches students how to budget money, while helping understand the concept of working and creating an allowance. Students fill out a weekly pay stub, and keep track of the hours that they have worked each month.”
“Each day is something new. I enjoy the constant changing and learning of new tasks. Our car wash experience is a good way to prepare for an actual workplace one day.” student Nathaniel Toeller noted in the release.
An earlier Fort Atkinson Online story about the program is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/special-needs-high-school-program-teaches-community-involvement-and-independent-living/.
Students Aliyah and Sienna Collins detail the inside of the squad car.
Pathways student Kevin Dietz-Patterson scrubs the tires of a Fort Atkinson Police Department squad car.
Pathways student Nick Straub applies soap to the outside of a Fort Atkinson Police Department squad car.
Students work together to wash and detail a squad car.
Pathways student Reuben Guttenberg cleans the inside of a Fort Atkinson Police Department squad car.
Pathways students, their instructors, pictured far left and far right, and Fort Atkinson Police Officer Dan Hefty pose with a squad car that the students washed and detailed as part of their year-end experience.
Contributed photos.
Above is a copy of the original press release as shared with Fort Atkinson Online.
“I am very proud of my students and the work that I am able to do each day with those in the program. Seeing how far the program has grown since I’ve been a part of Fort Atkinson School District is amazing,” Pathways program teacher Rachael Breyer stated in an email shared with Fort Atkinson Online.
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Why isn’t the teacher of this FHS Pathways program mentioned in the article.? It is my understanding that she wrote the article and took the pictures. Surely she deserves to have her name mentioned for her hard work.
Hi Jenny, the story came to us as a press release from the district’s communication person. We receive lots of press released information and in journalism, we traditionally identify those stories as press released info. As a woman who once wrote press releases in her career, it is true that the people who put the releases together are often unsung heroes. They work for an entity, and the job is to bring the entity’s message to the public. In this case, I have not been made aware of a name associated with the release other than the district’s comms person, which is standard. There are two teachers that I am aware of who participate in this program. Here is an earlier story we wrote about them. The link is also included with this press release: https://fortatkinsononline.com/special-needs-high-school-program-teaches-community-involvement-and-independent-living/. It should also be noted that we receive press releases from myriad sources and credit them all in the same fashion, noting they are press releases. K
What a remarkable program! Teaching them
how to function in the real world! Bravo!