Project Search Prepares Students for Life After School

PINEVILLE, NC — A new program, teaching essential skills to students, preparing them for life after high school.

Project Search is a joint effort between Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Atrium Health, training students with special needs. They allowed WCCB an exclusive look inside the program.

“I press those buttons,” explains Kyle Stober. “It goes up, and goes back down. I put those tubes into these specimens right here.”

Stober is a 21-year old student at Ardrey Kell High School. He’s also interning as a lab tech at Atrium-Pineville.

“I miss my high school, but this is a great place to be,” says Stober.

The Project Search program is in it’s first year at CMS.

Kyle is one of eight students with significant disabilities interning with Atrium. They rotate through various jobs in the hospital in the morning, and spend time in the classroom each afternoon.

“We do a lot of soft skills teaching,” says Project Search instructor Paige Henderson. “We focus on writing of resumes. We focus on interview skills.”

Henderson helps provide instruction, focusing on real-life work experience, combined with training in employ-ability and independent-living skills.

“Things like reading body language,” says Henderson. “Focusing on the change of your tone. Or what language is appropriate, and what language is not appropriate. Things like even personal space and boundaries.”

“You put garlic, chicken, little green stuff, jalapenos,” says Ashley Henderson, detailing a recipe she is cooking.

The 22-year old Tanner is working in food services this rotation.

The Butler High School student takes pride in her cooking. And the Project Search experience has her setting goals.

“I want to work in the emergency department with Josh, and Heather, and Mary, to study to be a nurse,” she declares.

The goal for each intern is competitive employment.

Project Search has a 75% success rate, based on the interns getting and keeping a job for six months.

“The whole idea is that the interns are treated like the adults that they are,” says Henderson. “And they are treated with the expectation that they will achieve, and they will grow, and they will learn.”

Most of the project search interns are between 20 and 22 years old.

CMS will educate students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities until they are 22.