On Thursday, members of the Cañon City School District, including the school board, Cañon City High School Principal Bill Summers, and representatives of the special education department convened with the four graduates of the inaugural class of Greater Heights to celebrate their emergence into adulthood.
Friends and family beamed as students Kaci Duggan, Nathan Beel, Xavier Renshaw, and Jeberechiah Farago, were awarded their diplomas by school board members.
"It's natural to feel a tiny bit of fear," said Keynote Speaker, Lt. Col. Daniel Dorado, who also teaches JROTC at CCHS. "But to overcome fear, you must be confident and have a can-do attitude."
"Greater Heights has taught me so much about being an independent adult, I will miss being a part of it," Farago said during the ceremony.
Greater Heights is a program specifically designed to serve eligible young adults, aged 18-21, who are students served by an individualized education plan.
A press release issued in January reads, "The Greater Heights program is designed to support students with the development of employability and independent living skills; an extension of Cañon City School District's 'Learning for Life' motto and commitment to preparing students with the skills and traits they need to be successful in their individual paths outside of school."
According to Summers, the program has its roots in Cañon City High School. Previously, the high school had a transition program for young adults to move into adult life, but it had become part of the school rather than an independent program. However, when a senior at CCHS completed their capstone course on, 'Why we should have a transitions program,' a fire was lit to bring such a program back to the district.
"It's ideal for these students to have a program that is separate because, after all, they have graduated from high school and their focus needs to be less on high school academics and more on life skills," Summers said.
It was Summers, Assistant Principal Ande Davis, and Special Services Director Tim Renn who served as the primary spearheads for the project and tracked down the funding necessary to bring the program to life. Once an Empowering Action for School Improvement grant had been secured, they reached out to Tami Gunkel, who has extensive experience in special education, to serve as the program lead; it has been magic ever since.
"We are here for all kids," said school board member Todd Albrecht.
"Everyone is important, no one, no one is left behind," added fellow board member Mike Near.
Originally, the program was based at CCHS but moved to a new location at the Apex Commons located downtown in November -- a beneficial move for the students.
"It's been amazing because, after the move, you could just tell that the young adults felt like they were out of high school," said Gunkel, the current transition coach and program lead. "They're feeling like, 'Wow, we're important.' It opened a lot of pathways for us."
The students worked closely with local businesses and Gunkel to develop hands-on, vital life skills including learning how to use the mail system, and how to make a financial deposit and they also met Mayor Ashley Smith at City Hall, went to the courthouse, and even had a special learning session with the Fremont County Clerk and Recorder Justin Grantham.
"We're very hands-on, which serves the population I work with very well," Gunkel said. "Without the community business support, it wouldn't be as successful because our main goal is to get the population to work, to do internships, to get those skills."
"We want to thank our business partners, it couldn't happen without our business partners," said school board member Molly Merry.
Both Farago and Beel have since entered the workforce with the job of their dreams -- thanks to their internships through Greater Heights with those businesses. Farago works at Lindner Chevrolet as a car detailer and Beel works at both Four Mile Golf Course and Cañon City Lanes. Other businesses around took part in supporting the graduates, including Phil's Barbershop, Home Depot, Fremont Veterinary Hospital, and Unbridled Holdings.
"We really care about all kids being successful and there is potential in every student," Merry said. "To watch that they are going out into the world as productive adults is just ... wow."
Moving forward, Gunkel is hopeful that the program can extend into other parts of the community as, already, she anticipates the class of 2024 to be larger than 2023.
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