River View Elementary School Custodian Wayne “Ike” Smith loves to vacuum.
“I like to make the place look clean again,” Smith said.
Smith has worked at River View for about a year. His duties include picking up trash, cleaning up after lunch, and putting away supplies.
“Ike enjoys coming to work every day and is always willing to do anything asked of him,” said Kelly Gregoire, River View principal.
“I think he enjoys seeing a job well done.”
Smith is one of more than 20 former District 202 students who were hired after completing an internship with Project SEARCH.
The national Project SEARCH High School Transition Program pairs students with disabilities with internships in workplaces such as hospitals, banks, or universities.
The program is funded with a federal grant and relies on partnerships with the hospital, Trinity Services Inc., and the State of Illinois Department of Human Services/Division of Rehabilitation Services from Rehabilitation Services Administration.
District 202 started the program in 2015. The district partners with UChicago Medicine AdventHealth in Bolingbrook to offer students the opportunity to work in various departments.
The Post-Secondary Transition and Educational Program (P-STEP) students gain valuable work experience.
Megan Kobliska has been the district’s Project SEARCH coordinator for two years.
The goal of Project SEARCH is to prepare students for competitive employment in the community, she said.
The interns work in departments including maintenance, clerical, medical-surgical unit, food service, and the infusion center, Kobliska said.
They perform tasks such as repairing a revolving door, cleaning vents and glass, testing water temperatures, and sanitizing equipment, including stretchers and wheelchairs.
Smith did custodial work, something he enjoys, during his internship.
The hospital attempts to put interns in departments to match their skill sets or interests, Kobliska said.
Project SEARCH students work with job coaches at Trinity Services Inc., to help them interview and secure employment after the internship ends.
“We are supporting them to become more independent and gain employment skills,” Kobliska said.
The best part of the program is to see the students and their confidence grow, she said.
“When they realize they are capable and successful in getting employment in the community, that is the program’s real success,” Kobliska said.
Students interested in Project SEARCH can contact Megan Kobliska at mkoblisk@psd202.org.