Last Thursday, students from Cypress Bay B.R.I.D.G.E.S. program participated in their LAST online class of the 2020 school year. However, this ZOOM meeting wasn’t like the others. It was a very special one where the facilitators presented a recap of the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. school year.
This year, the students were able to participate in 3-4 Community Based Instruction (CBI) trips a month. Some of their trips included going to the local post office, banks, restaurants, grocery stores, parks, and more. These CBI’s provided the students with opportunities to socialize with their peers while learning lifelong skills that will help them as they transition from high school to their post -secondary journey.
The students were pleasantly surprised when facilitators, Ms. Kathy Gorman-Gard and Ms. Donna Mansolillo shared a slide show with pictures of the activities they participated in throughout the year. Many of them commented about what great times they had together.
We are so proud of all the students in the class and the social growth they have made this year. Five of the students will be graduating from Cypress Bay and will continue onto their post- secondary journey. Some of the students will be participating in local programs, while other students will be attending a University in the fall.
Ms. Donna Mansolillo shared her thoughts about her students’ accomplishments this year: “I am so proud of how these young men and women were able to adapt to our new way of learning. Each of them has shown such incredible social growth. Many of them have made friends outside of the classroom and hopefully are better prepared to problem solve unexpected situations. I am so grateful to the BRIDGES program and staff for affording us this unique opportunity. It is because of your support that our program is so successful.”
The HDS Foundation is excited to meet next year’s students and make more memories!
