BETHALTO - Bethalto Community Unit School District #8 students recently learned important life skills while building new decorations for Civic Memorial High School.
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Teachers Allyssa Schmidlkofer and Jeremy Christenson worked together to teach a Civic Memorial life skills class how to complete a basic maintenance project that doubles as new decor for the high school. The students painted two pillars in front of the school to look like giant pencils. As part of this, they went shopping, measured and spray-painted — all skills that will help them in the future, said Schmidlkofer.
“It was a really great project, and I’m happy that we got to do it,” she added. “The students are proud. They’re like, ‘I made this.’ It’s not like some random construction worker came in and did it. We did it for our school. I know our students are really proud of that, and I’m very excited.”
Schmidlkofer is a special education teacher and Christenson works in industrial technology and welding. Together, they teach the basic maintenance life skills class to show students how to change lightbulbs, handle basic car issues, and more. Their goal is to educate students on how to navigate challenges and promote independence.
While students can complete some of these projects on their own, the teachers also explain how to ask for help and who to contact when they need specialists. They want to empower students to manage their own households one day.
“When they leave Civic Memorial High School, I want them to be prepared with all the skills and tools that they need in order to live independently, no matter how that might look for them,” Schmidlkofer said. “That’s our goal with this class and within the life skills program.”
When the class decided to paint the pillars, they first took a field trip to Ace Hardware to get the supplies they needed. Schmidlkofer thanked the school district for supporting this field trip, as well as the “super kind” employees at the store. The shopping trip was “another amazing life skill” that students were able to learn.
Then, students worked with Christenson and Schmidlkofer to measure the pillars, tape off sections, and safely use spray paint. The finished products look great, and the students were proud of the work they did to beautify their school.
Schmidlkofer was eager to see the students’ collaboration. The life skills program encourages students to think about their futures and learn skills that will support them after high school.
She emphasized that Civic Memorial High School is always focused on their “CM Next” initiative, which supports students as they prepare for life after graduation. The life skills program and projects like this are part of that goal, and the class is pleased with their work.
“We want every student to be prepared for their future, no matter what their future looks like,” Schmidlkofer added. “They’re really just amazing kids, and I might be biased, but this is just an amazing school.”
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