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Rocky Hill board hears Dream Academy, Pathways and Dream Cafe update; parent praises student progress
Summary
Staff from the Rocky Hill School District described how the Dream Academy, Pathways program and the Dream Cafe deliver individualized instruction, job-site experience and community outings; a parent testified that the programs transformed her son's social engagement and confidence.
Rocky Hill ' At the board of education meeting on Oct. 16, staff from the district's Dream Academy, Pathways program and Dream Cafe described daily operations, student outcomes and new vocational opportunities.
Dr. Zto introduced the presentation, and staff members outlined program goals. Mario Moreno, a special-education teacher at Pathways, said the Pathways program serves students in grades 7 through 12 who require a therapeutic learning environment and that it currently enrolls seven students. "Our main focus is on providing a therapeutic learning environment that is designed to support the mental, emotional, and academic well-being of students," Moreno said.
Ian Lard, transition coordinator for the Dream Academy, said the Academy has 13 students and a low teacher-student ratio. He described daily living lessons (banking, hygiene, time management), job coaches who model tasks and then step back to promote independence, and regular community job sites including the Dream Cafe, CVS, Uptown Consignment and Price Chopper. "We empower students to develop independence, build employability, and foster a lasting sense of belonging," Lard said.
Erin Herald, culinary director of the Dream Cafe, described the cafe's schedule and initiatives that give students hands-on food-service and customer-service experience. Students help prepare and deliver lunches to district schools, operate the register, assemble orders and pack deliveries; Herald said the district has begun offering a half-credit class for students who earn volunteer hours in the cafe. She highlighted recent community events, noting a $300 corporate catering order delivered to ACOM as an example of revenue and practice opportunities that can scale the program.
Herald outlined several upcoming and ongoing activities: a holiday bazaar at the cafe on Dec. 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., craft and greeting-card sales, a spring family dinner, and planned certification training such as ServeSafe so students leave with vocational credentials.
Parent testimony underscored program impact. Gentiana Rambolaku told the board her 18-year-old son, who is nonverbal and was previously withdrawn in high school, has regained household routines and social engagement since joining the Dream Academy. "He sits in the dinner table and he laughs with us again," Rambolaku said. She credited staff and the program environment with dramatically improving her son's quality of life and urged continued community support.
The board thanked presenters and parents. No formal action was required; the presentation served as an update and public demonstration of the district's transition and vocational supports.
