Students don’t just learn skills, they grow confidence, experience, and pride in every task they tackle.
Sam scratched the back of his neck and scanned through the list of tasks that needed to be completed that week, but nothing immediately sparked his interest. Instead, he pointed to a tree stump in the garden of the Christie True Environmental Education Center at Brightwater Treatment Plant. “That is what I want to do,” said Sam, pointing to the two-foot-wide stump, “I want to take out that stump.” So, he grabbed a shovel and went to work.
“He chipped away at that stump for more than a week, but he got it out of there,” said Kristin Covey, Brightwater’s Education and Engagement Supervisor. “He was determined, and he took initiative by identifying a problem and coming up with a solution.”
Providing real-world training experience for people like Sam is one of the goals of the Adults Transitioning to Independence (ATI) program, serving 40-50 young adult, special education students in the Northshore School District. The students, ages 18 to 22, have met high school graduation requirements and continue to access special education services through internships with local businesses and organizations. In preparing for life beyond school, they learn life skills such as community safety, self-advocacy, job readiness, and cooking and food safety.
Students are provided with daily task lists, such as changing out the signage on the pop-up story walk, that foster autonomy and decision-making.
Every academic school year, a crew of two to four ATI students – including Sam – come weekly to Brightwater to assist in landscaping the facility’s 70 acres of wetlands, woodlands, flower gardens, paved walking trails, and art installations.
The partnership between WTD and ATI started in October 2021, when Kristin’s phone rang and Corbin Young, a special education teacher at the school district, asked if the landscaping crew at Brightwater needed any help. As it happened, the Brightwater landscaping crew had shrunk to just two employees because of the COVID pandemic, and they were stretched thin. Kristin recognized that this would be a win for everyone, and she was right. She immediately told Corbin, “Yes!”
Since then, Kristin has been instrumental in shaping the students’ experience. She creates daily task lists that allow students to prioritize and choose their work, fostering autonomy and decision-making. Her guidance helps students navigate challenges like staying focused and communicating effectively — skills that are practiced repeatedly and lead to noticeable growth in professionalism.
“The most fruitful partnerships come from someone like Kristin Covey,” Corbin says. “She took the time to chat and discuss what these opportunities can look like and how they benefit all of us.”
There are many success stories at Brightwater. One student, despite struggling with fine motor skills, completed all 18 frames of a pop-up story walk, carefully screwing in each poster board. “It took him a little longer than anticipated, but he did a great job,” Kristin explains. “And he was so, so proud of himself. The confidence it gave him was palpable.”
Then there is Koa who transformed the education center’s gardens through consistent weeding and care, earning praise and deep appreciation from the landscape manager.
No task too tough, no weed too stubborn, ATI students rise to the challenge and dig deep to succeed.
“And don’t forget John,” Kristin finishes. “John was a student who found absolute joy in working with plants here in the Brightwater gardens, and he went on to secure a job at a local nursery. Great success story.”
The ATI program doesn’t just teach job skills; it builds confidence, independence, and a sense of purpose.
“I have seen profound increases in the confidence of our students in the program,” says Corbin, who has led the program for more than a decade. “It is incredibly rewarding to see them advocate for themselves in the workplace and to identify and use accommodations to support their challenges so they can succeed.”
Back at Brightwater, Sam stood over the patch of earth where the stump had once been. The space looked different now – open and ready for something new. Sam himself was ready for a change. With help from ATI staff, Sam learned how to fill out job applications and how to interview – skills that helped him land a job at a boxing facility. He greets guests, cleans and organizes the facility, and finds solutions to problems all on his own.