CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Students at East Mecklenburg High School are learning life skills we sometimes take for granted, like doing laundry, folding clothes and making the bed.
The school is the first in CMS to transform a classroom into a studio apartment.
It’s a unique space for students diagnosed with special needs to learn how to be independent. The kitchen was already there, but everything else was donated.
[ ALSO READ: American Airlines has program to get children with special needs familiar to airport ]
Channel 9′s Gina Esposito asked one of the students if they had learned a lot from the class and used it back home.
“Yeah, I take it home and I tell my parents, we made pancakes, we made cake, we made mashed potatoes like they’re making,” student Calvin Osborne said.
Nearly 170 students are enrolled in programs for exceptional children at East Meck. The goal for this class is to prepare them for the real world.
Jennifer Degen Mullis helps mold the programs.
This browser does not support the video element.
“In the past, our kids used to live at homes for the rest of their lives, and I think this program is a huge catalyst to allow our kids to be independent and I’m so proud of that,” Mullis said.
Osborne is a good example of someone who is doing extremely well.
The 21-year-old took the skills he learned in the classroom and got a job at a nursing home in Charlotte. He works 10 to 15 hours a week and is earning money. The students are also out in the community during the week. They work for nonprofits and have a positive impact on others.
[ ALSO READ: Matthews thrift store celebrates 5 years of job training for adults with special needs ]
“Sometimes when we leave the school, we usually go to Hope Haven, that’s my favorite place to go to because there are some people that have bad times in their life and sometimes we make them happy, funny, when we come to see them,” Osborne said.
The students are currently putting their skills to the test by washing the clothes of student athletes. They hope to expand the program to offer assistance to students who are homeless.
Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:
- ‘This is justice’: Man convicted of murder at 14 to walk free 20 years later
- CAUGHT ON VIDEO: School bus driver suspended after outburst toward students
- CMPD: Three in custody after carjacking in south Charlotte leads to police chase
- FORECAST: Temps nearly 20 degrees above average; more rain in store
- ‘A huge sense of relief’: CMPD assistant chief retires after more than 28 years of service