PG RISE: A collaborative high school program with Randolph Public Schools
Last year, P.G. Chambers School began an exciting endeavor; a collaborative high school program in partnership with Randolph Public Schools called “PG RISE at Randolph.” The program, now in its second year, is a public school placement for students with multiple disabilities. PG RISE at Randolph stands for:
R– Realizing
I– Individual
S– Student
E– Excellence
The Goals of the PG RISE Program are to:
- Provide inclusive high school opportunities for students with multiple disabilities,
- Challenge students academically,
- Provide high quality related services and advanced assistive technology, and
- Integrate students into the general population academically and socially.
P.G. Chambers School staff implement the program and bring with them their passion and expertise in educating students with disabilities. This year the program staff includes:
– Margey Dwyre-Daily, Special Education Teacher
– Laura Howering, Paraprofessional
– Christine Cayero, Speech Language Pathologist
– Maureen Devlin, Physical Therapist
– Dominique Moore, Occupational Therapist
This team is supported by a Randolph paraprofessional and Randolph teachers in art, music, and gym.
For the 2019-2020 school year, there are 5 students in the PG RISE Program. In a typical school week, the students engage in academic classes in the RISE classroom, work on transition skills, participate in general education specials and adapted physical education class, work in the school store, and prepare for and run the coffee cart for staff. The class makes a monthly trip to Shop Rite to prepare for the cooking they do as part of managing the coffee cart. Students will also have the opportunity this year to attend the gingerbread house exhibit at Frelinghuysen Arboretum, a performance at Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, a trip to the movies, visits to the Conservation Center, and a trip to Turtle Back Zoo. PG RISE is an integral part of Randolph Public Schools’ special services programming.
PG RISE classroom teacher Margey Dwyre-Daily shared her thoughts about the program and her students:
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence and determination. When I think of our students at RISE this is what I think of. I often refer to us as pioneers: a group that helps open up a new line of thought or activity, one of the first to settle in a new territory. In our public school setting we are realizing independent student excellence, academically as well as socially, every day while enabling those around us, both students and staff, to see things differently, noticing and highlighting what we have in common, in a community where we all are included. We navigate high school life, literally finding our way as we settle into this new territory and make connections from working in the school store, running the coffee cart, delivering school mail, participating in a general education painting class, and better understanding our community through monthly field trips. We are embracing concepts of algebra, physics, and US history, while working to further our reading and writing skills through accessing current news topics. We are a small but mighty group, looking to expand, grow, and embrace opportunities of inclusion, learning, and transition as we continue to RISE at Randolph High School. I know our possibilities are endless and I could not be more proud of our RISE students, as they help us all to open our eyes to new ways of being and connecting.
Please enjoy the photos of students participating in physical education and working at the school store. To learn more about the PG RISE program, please contact P.G. Chambers School’s director of community services, Kristin Young at youngk@chambersschool.org
