Lynbrook School District’s Career Development Program (CDP) has made great strides in the eight years since its formation, and Lynbrook schools continue to expand it with innovation and creativity. The program focuses on vocational training and teaching life skills — such as using a cash register, reinforcing table manners, and reading emails — while simultaneously incorporating traditional academic components, such as reading and mathematics. High school students are divided into two cohorts based on their age, both of which spend time outside of the school building, working in local businesses. 

Katy McHale and Gregory Deratus, aged 16 and 15 respectively, are taught by Annie McKenna, who has taught special education in the district for ten years and has been a CDP teacher for four years. Students have a double-period block of vocational training each day, and two days of the week are devoted to their job sites, spending Wednesdays at the district’s administrative building and Fridays organizing books in the school library. Once a week, students participate in travel training, where they learn to read pedestrian signs, follow maps, look for speed limit signs, and find their way around the school building. “I like to cook, play pingpong, and play board games,” said McHale. Next year, she hopes to work at Doughology. 

Students Coralie Germain, 17, and Justin Martinez, 21, are taught by Eileen Silecchia, and they explore career-field work environment preferences every day. Germain works in the administrative office, the Lynbrook Public Library, and the school cafeteria, where she enjoys preparing food with the kitchen staff. Martinez works at both Miller’s Hardware and Doughology, where he loves to make donuts for customers.

Many CDP students also participate in extracurricular activities. LHS’ Challenger Basketball Team has a blast competing against rival school districts and learning to dribble the ball, shoot baskets, and cheer their teammates on with sportsmanship. “My nickname was J-Mart, and that’s what they announced when I scored baskets,” said Martinez. “I had a lot of fun playing basketball,” he added. CDP students have also enjoyed the annual Corner of the Sky Production, where they act and dance in a play run by CDP teachers, aids, and student buddies. Martinez used to operate the stage lights for the production.

CDP students continue to attend school every day in person, but certain activities have been cancelled this year due to the pandemic. In a typical year, students would be able to take rides on busses and trains to learn public transportation etiquette. This activity was put on hold off this year to prevent increasing exposure to the coronavirus. The Challenger basketball team and the Corner of the Sky Production were also cancelled this year to abide by Covid-19 protocols.

This is sophomore Alexandra Spector’s first year as a buddy, but she is already a part of the CDP family. She got connected with the program through Principal Joseph Rainis, who, earlier this year, sought volunteers from the Student Government Association. “My favorite part of being a CDP buddy is being able to interact with the students and become their friend,” Spector said. “We eat lunch together, play board games, and just talk about our day. I love hearing their experiences, and it is an hour that I really look forward to throughout the day,” added Spector.

Junior Vincent Sullivan, McHale’s buddy, has been involved with the program for over two years, originally helping to coach the Challenger basketball team. “The thing that I love the most is that spending time with the CDP kids makes my day better no matter what,” Sullivan shared. “I love being able to spend time with them, and we always have a good time,” he added.

Additionally, CDP students often attend the Virtual Enterprise (VE) class, an interactive business course taught by Dr. Benedict Tieniber, to further strengthen their skills in customer service and handling money. VE students are also aiding CDP students to develop a business model for their up-and-coming school store, which will open next school year when construction of the building’s new wing is complete. The building’s new renovation will also include a refurbished CDP suite, equipped with a kitchen for students to practice cooking. “I really think that the administration has done a wonderful job of supporting this program,” said McKenna. “We’re so excited and appreciative for the new addition to our classroom,” she added.

The Owl’s Nest store will sell drinks, snacks, and specialized LHS products, such as VE, Key Club, and Student Government Association merchandise, and it will be run by CDP students, who will work as cashiers and customer greeters. “The Career Development Program is absolutely phenomenal,” said Tieniber. “I’ve watched it grow over my past four years here, and to have a school store, with CDP students running it, is really incredible,” he added. Art teacher Michael Cunz is currently running a contest for his art students to draw an Owl’s Nest logo; the winning art will be painted on the storefront. 

Debra Geiser has been a one-to-one aid in Lynbrook for 19 years, and she now assists in the CDP class. “I love this program and seeing all of our fabulous students succeed both in the building and after graduating,” Geiser said. “I am really looking forward to the new CDP classroom and school store, which is being built right now. It’s going to be a great asset to the program,” added Geiser.

The rising prominence of video-chatting during the pandemic has also provided opportunity for innovation. Each Friday, CDP students from the high school have a call via Webex with their pen-pals from North Middle School. This is the CDP’s first year at North, and it is led by Bryton Saunders, who previously taught special education in the Bronx. The program currently has three participating students, all in sixth grade.

The middle school program differs from the high school’s in that students do not venture into the community to practice vocational skills, but rather learn communicative and social skills from the school building. The curriculum also covers every core subject offered in general education: English, social studies, math, and science. 

North CDP students have participated in a project each month of the school year. In January, they studied the aspects of a healthy lifestyle and became reporters on healthy living; they surveyed school staff, created graphs, conducted interviews, and eventually published their own newspaper. Student Michael Helmy collected data by listening to his heartbeat with a stethoscope and interviewed North Middle School Principal Sean Fallon for his original newspaper, More with Mike. Helmy said he likes talking with his high school pen-pals on Fridays when they discuss their weekend plans. “I like to play on my Nintendo Switch and play board games with my family over the weekend,” Helmy said.

In February, the students are focusing on Black History Month and creating a museum in one of North’s hallways to showcase prominent black historical figures. Students became tour guides for the social studies classes, walking them through the museum. The project aims to promote inclusiveness and communication skills. The class also hosted a Valentine’s Day party, where students ate cupcakes and wrote Valentine’s messages to their friends, McHale and Deratus.

“The best part of my job is seeing my students grow,” said Saunders. “It’s incredible to compare where they started in September to where they are now.” Saunders shared that the CDP students and staff have formed great friendships and made strong bonds over the course of the school year. “We call ourselves the ‘Room 126 family’ because that’s really what we are,” she said. “I absolutely love this program.”

Saunders has high hopes for the future of the program, and she plans on bringing her students to LHS once or twice a week to take advantage of its new facilities. She explained that her North students have been creating their own miniature stores in the middle school classroom, so working in the Owl’s Nest will be an amazing opportunity for their skills to flourish.

“The collaboration between students in and out of the Career Development Program is what makes this building so special,” said LHS Assistant Principal Matthew Sarosy. “The school store will be awesome, and having the CDP students so involved in its operation is something I’m really looking forward to.”