Christopher Lineman, a senior at Centennial School in a town in eastern Pennsylvania, has had a passion for cooking since he was 3 years old. Despite facing challenges in his life, he has continued to nurture his love for cooking. Now 19, Christopher is set to graduate from high school in 2017. His future plans include attending community college, working in a restaurant kitchen, and hopefully owning his own restaurant someday. He is currently gaining experience in food preparation by splitting his time between Centennial and a nearby vocational program that offers culinary training.
As he looks towards graduation and living on his own, Christopher admits to feeling a bit nervous, but he is also excited. He is eager to learn new things and has a deep love for education. His mindset is a far cry from when he first arrived at Centennial as a 5th grader filled with anger. Centennial is a lab school operated by Lehigh University’s College of Education and is located in an industrial office park near the Lehigh Valley International Airport. The school serves students with emotional disturbances or autism who are placed there by surrounding school districts.
Centennial’s approach to behavior focuses on explicitly teaching appropriate behavior and relies on positive-behavior supports rather than seclusion or restraint. The program is rigorous, with a maximum enrollment of about 100 students. Districts pay a significant portion of the annual tuition, with the state covering the remaining cost. Despite the calm and structure of the school day, Centennial attracts students who are not easy cases, according to the school director, Michael George.
Christopher, in particular, was a challenging case. He was physically and verbally aggressive towards teachers and family members and struggled to deal with frustration. However, he quickly adapted to Centennial’s methods and thrived within the structured environment. Transitioning from school to the community can be particularly difficult for students with emotional disturbances due to their emotional volatility. Katie M. Herczeg, the career-development teacher at Centennial, explains that many of these students can appear typical until they become angry, frustrated, or struggle to manage different situations. This can lead to job loss or other negative outcomes, and students with emotional disturbances are more likely to have run-ins with the law compared to other students with disabilities.
Teaching self-advocacy skills is essential for this group of students, according to Ms. Herczeg. When Centennial students graduate, they need to be able to navigate the education system, job requirements, and social-service agencies independently.
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