Friday's Top Five: Student Faves

Day 26 of the 31 for 21 Challenge

The students have been here for almost three full months now.  In that short amount of time, a lot has happened!

They’ve made new friends, discovered new strengths, taken tests, played sports, started internships, learned skills to help them grow in their independence, interacted in community and have grown in their awareness of God. And this is just a very abbreviated list.

I asked the students about their experiences so far. What are they doing? What’s been fun? What do they look forward to every day?  I heard a variety of responses like grocery shopping, tutoring, scavenger hunts, and even their quiet time.

To end the school week, I’m going to focus on these happy things – the students’ Top Five list of favorite things about Shepherds College:

1.       Hanging out with friends – 

Almost every student who responded mentioned their joy in making new friends or reuniting with friends from previous school years. Whether they were watching a movie, playing a game of air hockey, playing Wii or listening to music, it didn’t matter as long as they were together having fun.

“One of my favorite things at Shepherds College is movie nights when all the girls stay up and eat popcorn together. I think it is a good way to bond with other students.” – First year student

2.       The Staff – 

This doesn’t surprise me. God called a team of people to Shepherds College who are, without question, loving, creative, compassionate, patient, dedicated, and motivated by opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others. For the most part, the students commented on the staff as a whole unit, but one student made a special remark about one of her teachers:

“I like Miss Luchterhand because she helps me through hard times. She helps me see what kind of spiritual gifts I have from God and what I really can do.”  -  First year student

3.       The Classes –

From the Functional Academics, like Money Skills and Language Arts, to the Specialty Majors of Horticulture and Culinary Arts, to the Extracurriculars, like Scrapbooking, Guitar and Choir, most of the students mentioned one of their classes as a “favorite thing about Shepherds College.” This is a result of the exceptional quality of the teachers working in our program. 

“My favorite thing here at Shepherds is Roots of Faith. Miss Fye makes the class a lot of fun with the interactions she does with me and the other students.” – First year student

4.       Playing Sports

Shepherds College offers students the opportunity to participate in the Special Olympic program. The students can currently take part in Volleyball, Basketball and Track & Field.

“I like to play sports because it reminds me of playing with my family and friends back home.” – First year student

5.       The Homes

There are three different living areas for the students on campus – the Dorms for the first year students, the Homes for the second year students and the Apartments for the third year students. Each living area offers a graduated level of responsibility related to cooking and care of the home. The Homes were the only living areas mentioned as a “favorite thing about Shepherds College” and one of the students summed up the reason why:

“My Home has a lot of open space. It feels like a real home. A home away from home.” – Second year student

My favorite thing about Shepherds College? Easy.

It’s a program with a list of things to love about it!

 

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.