Classes are suspended, but students in high school equivalency classes are still learning. Teachers have contacted all students and assigned them to courses in Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org) and continue to offer face-to-face learning as well through Zoom. Additionally, teachers use What’s App to stay in touch.

High School Equivalency (HSE) students may have been out of school for 2 months, 2 years or 20 years+ before returning to the classroom. Some are confident in their ability to earn their diploma; others start class feeling strong and then after a few weeks, feel discouraged.

In addition to supervisors, instructors, and program assistants, each IU13 Community Education site has a Student Advisor. Students first meet their advisor at orientation so they receive support at the very beginning. Initial and ongoing goal setting, barrier support services, transition support services, and student support services are all part of the advisor’s day-to-day responsibilities. Upcoming blog articles will feature the advisor at each site.

Since the suspension of classes beginning the week of March 16th, HSE (high school equivalency) teachers and students alike have been embracing new technology in order to learn as a community online. 

About Damarise:

I am a mother, grandmother, wife, sister, worship leader, and student with four kids (two over the age of 18 and two under 12). I have been happily married for five years. Both my husband and I attend church very regularly (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday). My son is in basketball and trains quite often (every Saturday). Both my son and daughter play basketball, and we attend every Saturday. I mention all this because I am a busy wife, mom, grand-mom, sister, and friend.

About Jayden:

I’m a young man who has been through many challenges, but who has overcome them. I’m a hard-working overachiever with many life plans. I write poetry and motivational quotes, and make music from time to time. My plan in life is to one day open my own charter school to help people who could wind up like me. I want to give people the opportunities they truly deserve. Until I have the funding and support needed, I plan on going to get my certification in school.

Students often enter High School Equivalency (HSE) classes with a career goal in mind. Others are not sure. Student advisors and teachers spend time talking about career exploration and the many options available in Lancaster for post-secondary training, apprenticeships, and the resources offered by PA CareerLink, where daytime classes are held. Students have also expressed interest in joining the military and advisors are able to bring a recruiter to meet with those learners.

We have been busy with the Direct Service Worker class!  Students are preparing to enter the healthcare field giving personal care and direct support to individuals who need extra assistance.  As part of our class, students receive free First Aid/CPR training through our partner, CSG, Community Services Group. We also go on field trips to a variety of settings, including group homes, day programs for individuals with disabilities, and long-term care facilities like Willow Valley and Mennonite Home.  These field trips allow students to see which types of healthcare settings they prefer. When we are in class, we are busy learning about everything they need to pass the Pennsylvania online Direct Care Staff training. In this photo (see photo) students are learning about nutrition by analyzing nutrition labels.  Our 26-day class ends with a healthcare job fair with many employment opportunities for recent graduates! Of course, along the way, we have a lot of fun too including our weekly Treat Thursday, a celebration of the hard work we have accomplished during the week.

On January 21, 2020, Cultural Navigator Loice Byler was offered the opportunity to give 3 presentations about Swahili culture to 64 teachers at the School District of Lancaster’s Professional Development Day. In her own words, Loice explains;

The focus of my presentation was to help the teachers, who are already doing a great job, understand where their Swahili speaking students are coming from and what kind of barriers are needed to overcome to be successful in their classrooms.

The first session of the VF - Universal Design & Inclusion Program started on February 19. 2020. This program is a partnership between IU13 Community Education (Lebanon) and VF (Jonestown, PA). This eight-week program is designed to prepare qualified in-school and out-of-school youth for competitive employment in distribution while learning valuable employability skills. The student interns will build communication and problem-solving skills, as well as job-specific skills in the field of distribution. Students will work with an IU13 job trainer as well as VF trainers/staff to learn skills needed for employment as a General Warehouse Worker, including training in shipping, making boxes, packing process, and picking merchandise. In addition, students will become familiar with the VF business and culture.