Exceptional Developments

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Exceptional developments

The Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program aids in career exploration with its new adaptations

BY ISABELA DUARTE AND CHIARA ABAD-SANCHEZ, STAFF WRITERS

MANY STUDENTS ARE unsure about how to prepare for a career. Fortunately, Gables has programs that can help with career preparation, offering classes, magnets and academies with real opportunities such as field trips and events to explore their interests.

Specifically, the Exceptional Student Education department has taken measures to prepare their students for professional careers with developments such as the CavShop and student teachers. The CavShop provides ESE students with jobs and serves a necessary service to Gables. A student with much love for helping others, Mia Aguilar also contributes to the department through teaching, helping both the students and herself prepare for the future.

CavShop

WARM WELCOME: Students are greeted with balloons and a colorful sign at the entrance.

Georgia Rau/highlights

Forgetting school supplies at home is a natural mistake made by many students. However, the new mini supply store run by Autism Spectrum Disorder and ESE teacher Ivette Feeney and her students aims to make mistakes like these less of an inconvenience for students at the school.

In addition to school necessities, the shop also sells spirit supplies such as posters, balloons and necklaces for students to purchase. Updates for new items in stock can be found on their Instagram, @feeneys_class.

Feeney’s class is ensuring the student body is prepared for the day that lies ahead while creating a fun learning environment for her own students. Students that buy from the CavShop can receive extra credit from some teachers such as Reinoso, Delgado and Fleita.

The store started as an idea to fundraise for the ESE students’ end of the year banquet and field trips. Though these activities were a routine in Feeney’s syllabus, they were becoming more of an economic challenge. Moreover, in addition to fundraising, the store also provides ESE students with meaningful job experience where they learn valuable skills such as customer service, money handling and attention to detail. The fact that the shop is cash-only makes the job more hands-on. The store serves as a stepping stone for student employees to start branching out as they enter the job market.

“We haven’t had an on campus program for them to get job experience, so being that this is is the first is really great," Feeney said.

Throughout the summer, students cleaned, painted and decorated the room with balloons, posters and pictures of them putting the shop together in order to create a nice ambiance for other students.

The store opened in room 2153 on Sept. 15 after having a small opening on Sept. 6 for uniform exchange. After the lengthy process of setting up the store, Feeney enthusiastically waited for the grand opening with high hopes for both the store and her students.

FOLDING FUN: Sofia Missagia folds polos in preparation for uniform exchange.

Georgia Rau/highlights

The store’s employees are returning ESE seniors seeking employment experience in a safe and familiar environment. In addition to opportunities at Gables, students can also use programs like Project Victory, which help students with work related disadvantages get more job experience.

“Working at the CavShop can help us be better employees as we learn customer service skills," student employee Sarah Koriman said.

The supply store also provides uniforms donated by Gables alumni for students who may need them. If a student is found out of uniform, they can temporarily exchange the clothes they are wearing for the available uniforms. As long as the uniforms are clean when returned, no fee is charged.

“The store’s uniform exchange option prevented me from suffering severe consequences like detention for being out of uniform, which was amazing," freshman Christian Tomas said.

After such success with the CavShop after only a few weeks, the department is excited to see the long-term positive impacts it makes on the employees, current ESE students and the general student population at Gables.

Mia Aguilar

HELPING OUT: Mia Aguilar assists Sofia Missagia with a reading assignment.

Chiara Abad-Sanchez/highlights

Inspired by an affection for education and helping others, junior Mia Aguilar has begun to follow her passion by becoming a student aide for Autism Spectrum Disorder and ESE teacher Ivette Feeney.

An already well-rounded student, Aguilar is in the Academy of Finance, a member of the girls’ flag football and basketball teams in addition to being the president of Best Buddies, a club that promotes friendship between its members with developmental disabilities and those without via FaceTime, text or in person.

Additionally, since she was eight years old, Aguilar has been writing novels, having already published numerous children’s books, young adult novels and romance novels, such as “Love on the Brain,” available on Amazon.

During Aguilar’s sophomore year, she entered room 2156 for a Best Buddies presentation and the students were instantly captivated by her personality and attitude towards teaching. After this initial connection, she returned to the class more often, spending lunches and free class periods socializing with the students. Over time, Aguilar’s friendship with the department blossomed into a stronger relationship.

“I love engaging with them, and over time I got this teacher feeling,” Aguilar said.

Since Aguilar was young, she’s wanted to be a teacher or a daycare worker. Now, she has made her younger self’s dream a reality.

Feeney works with students who have developmental disabilities in classes that are changed according to what the student is expected to learn, based on their diagnosis. She also teaches transition skills geared towards deferred students returning after their senior year. Most of the students have already graduated but are still passionate and eager to learn, with ages ranging from 15 to 22 years old.

Feeney is very particular about letting people into her classroom. She believes that Aguilar is the perfect fit for a student aide because she is patient, mature and has a gift that cannot be taught. Aguilar specifically helps students with speech, reading, math, science and art, typically one-on-one. She makes sure to encourage students to answer questions even when they are not sure and she explains everything thoroughly to ensure understanding.

“Mia is very patient and mature for her age, and she has very good tact with the students and knows how to work with them. I’m very grateful to have Mia work with our kids,” Feeney said.

The students see Aguilar as their teacher and often call her “Ms. Mia.” Seeing her students happy because they answered a question correctly or understood the material given in class makes Aguilar proud of both them and herself.

Despite her natural talent and love for teaching, Aguilar has also experienced challenges. When she first started, she walked in blind, meaning she had no idea how to communicate with each student effectively. Her biggest concern was not knowing if they would be triggered by anything she would say or if there were certain ways to teach. After spending more time with each of them, she discovered their individual characteristics, which helped her learn how to cater to each of them differently.

One student Aguilar helps with speech impediments is Swan Guardiola, a deferred student who graduated in 2022. Aguilar has worked with her most of the time she has spent aiding Feeney’s class. They have been able to build a strong relationship, as Guardiola constantly looks forward to dancing to Usher with Aguilar at the end of class.

“My favorite activity to do with Ms. Mia is drawing and painting smiley faces and hearts,” Guardiola said.

When Aguilar graduates, her goal is to become a speech pathologist or speech therapist and open a pathology clinic for kids on the spectrum. The experience of being Feeney’s aide not only inspired this dream but kickstarted it, as she has already gained knowledge and passion in the area.

“If I get to walk in there every day and help and inspire kids as I do here, I’m content,” Aguilar said. h

HALL TALK

The highlights staff records what students are talking about in the halls.

“My astrologist told me to threaten nuclear war.”

“He’s not the kind of guy that you want to argue with, you just want to put him on mute.”

“Is javelin throwing in track & field like catch?”

“Do you think my Rolling Loud pass could work as an ID?”

“She may be prettier, but I bet she posts all of her BeReals late.”

“Some people just don’t understand the highs and lows of FIFA card trading.”