Memories...

Shepherds College is a very different place in the summer months. The hallways are dark, the classrooms are silent, and the heady aromas of warm, yeasty breads, melting chocolate, and braising meats from the Culinary Arts Kitchen have disappeared from the air.  The dorm walls are stripped of posters, the instructors leave on well-deserved vacations, and the Horticulture classroom looks strangely colorless without all the fresh blooms the students arrange into centerpieces.

Within the tangible emptiness, something living lingers – drifting, hovering, and teasing from every classroom and hallway - the memories of the students who have made their way into the lives and hearts of the faculty and staff of Shepherds College.

Last week, we said goodbye to the Class of 2014. We said goodbye to Miranda’s power-packed greetings, Daniela’s hugs, and Dallas’s unexpected sense of humor. We will miss Joe’s intensity and Bethany’s earnest desire to serve others. The graduates have left behind the ghosts of their unique personalities to remind us that every life impacts another. Shepherds College may have made a mark on their lives, but each of the graduates made an impression on our lives as well. 

Before school ended, I asked the first and second year students to tell me about their favorite memories involving the graduating Class of 2014, the memories that will still be hanging on long after the graduates have found apartments, meaningful jobs and have settled into their independent lives. This is what they shared:

Christi

“I would have Christi over for lunch or dinner, play Bowling with her on Wii, and make her laugh. I loved hearing her boisterous laugh.” ~ Sarah

“One of my favorite memories with Christi is having pizza in her apartment and watching Mrs. Doubtfire.” ~ Suzanne

“My favorite memories are when we went with them on the Amazing Race Retreat and field trips.” ~ Ellie

Donovan

“We laughed, had fun and we had good times playing Halo 2 on the PS2.” ~ Ryan

 

 “My favorite memory of the third-year students is going to the park with them and playing football and water tubing.” ~ Anthony

“My favorite memory is of all the activities we had the opportunity to do with the upper classmen such as going to exciting events with them. Also having ROTC with them in the gym.” ~ Wade

Miranda

  

“When Miranda and I got to watch a movie, she picked out ‘Are We There Yet?’ Miranda and I were laughing while watching the movie together.” ~ Crystal

“I had fun bowling with them.” ~ Andrew

“Being in Mr. Gaschke’s class with them.” ~ Nick

Brian

“When Brian came down every Wednesday to help us make breakfast in the Commons. Halo tournaments on Wednesdays when other people went to SNAP Fitness. When Dallas spun the giant wheel at Action Territory and won 1,000 tickets.” ~ Jonathan

“When they would all come to the café.” ~ Matt

“My favorite memory of this graduating class is Brian because I love him when he does his funny talk and makes me laugh all the time that I know of in my life. Every time I meet Brian, he makes me laugh all the time.” ~ David

Daniela

“Flying on the same plane as Daniela.” ~ Joey

“I went to Daniela’s apartment and had dinner together. It was fun. We watched TV after dinner, and we had a blast. We also chased a bug around the apartment. I thought it was funny.” ~ Cherokee

“Just getting to know them all and being able to sing with them.” ~ Ashley

Katy

“My favorite memory was when Katy made me laugh so hard, I almost died! HAHA!!” ~ Willetta

“My favorite memory is making Katy laugh by telling her jokes.” ~ Kirsten

“I will miss singing musicals with Katy.” ~ Krista

 

Sean

“My favorite memory of a third-year of 2014 is getting to know Sean and getting to know what each year at Shepherds College holds.” ~ Olya

 "They were all fun to hang out with.” ~ Geovanni

“I liked having Sean, Christian, Daniela and Katy in the Academic Advisor meetings with Mrs. Miles.” ~ Joshua

 

Christian

 “We had fun times hanging out together. It was nice getting to know them a little more.” ~ Julian

“The third-year students worked very hard, and they were fun to have in class.” ~ Grant

Nicole

 “Some of my favorite memories of this year’s graduates are of the times we all got together to have a girls’ fun movie or board game night. Every one of them was fun to hang out with. Their personalities were positive as well as funny at times, and other times they were sad and serious.” ~ Kathryn

“My favorite memory of the students in the 2014 graduating class is being able to get to know them. Being able to do things with them like grocery shopping and just having fun together.” ~ Nikki

  

Joe

“Seeing Joe and talking to him and all the graduating students in AiA Café.” ~ Nathan

“When all the guys sung around the campfire knowing that we would probably never be like that with the third-year students ever again.” ~ Tommy

Dallas

“Seeing the Casting Crowns concert with some of the students and getting three souvenirs.” ~ Philip

“My favorite memory of the graduating class is them helping us learn about the majors that we are in.” ~ Torrey

“My favorite memories are of going to paintball and basketball, plus going to the beach at Michigan. Going to Chick-fil-A and hockey games with them are all of my other favorite times as well as the movies.” ~ Micah

Bethany

“As a first-year student at Shepherds College, I’ve gotten to know most of the third-year students. Some of us got to know one another, and we hung out during school activities. Some of us didn’t get along at first, and at times we didn’t see eye to eye. At the end of the school year, I can see how my friendships with the third-year students have grown. I will remember who I have met and how we are all the same. We each have a disability, but it’s different. We all have different ways of learning. I know that God will find each one their purpose. They will grow through the years to come.” ~ Isaac

Class of 2014,
You will always be remembered.
Love,
Your friends at Shepherds College

 


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

Teacher Tuesday: Still Making Memories

Remember the 80’s? 

Big hair, leg warmers worn with pixie boots, breakdancing, Space Invaders, Duran Duran, clothes in shades of hot pink, electric blue and neon yellow, “Gag me with a spoon!”

 

The good ole days…

When I think back to these days, my memory inserts images of one of our newer classroom assistants, Mrs. Kim Harry. 

She is a warm reminder of the days of girly giggles, stirrup pants, dancing to A-ha, drives in a Jeep and hair held high off the head by mushroom-cloud blasts of Aqua Net.

Kim,  my brother, and big hair.

As my little sister’s best friend, Kim was a regular visitor to our house. Out of my sister’s odd assortment of peers, she was my absolute favorite. She wasn’t the girl who screamed every time Bon Jovi’s name was mentioned, she wasn’t the girl who was always mad at everyone, she wasn’t the gossip, she wasn’t the whisperer, she wasn’t the hypochondriac.  Kim was the girl who walked in the house with a big smile and a laugh and made everyone, from my baby brother to my mom, feel as if they were included in her close circle of friends.

She exuded happiness and joy in life. And even though it didn’t register to my teenaged self – I realize now that she truly radiated the love of God.

Every character trait that made me love Kim back then is still present in the Kim that works for Shepherds College today. The years haven’t stripped one ounce of her kindness, gentleness, sense of humor or positivity. The staff she supports at school gives testimony to this fact:

“Kim is great! She always has a smile on her face and is willing to jump in and go with the flow!” ~ Mrs. Kolkman

“Kim is calm and positive and treats difficult behaviors with diplomacy and love.” ~ Mrs. Harvey

“Kim is so kind and gentle. She steps right in with whatever is needed and is actively involved. I love working with her! She is fun and flexible and up for anything in class!” ~ Mrs. Konopasek

“Kim is such a kind person, and she is always attentive to the students. She is really interested in their lives as well.” ~ Miss Spence

“I’ve seen Kim encourage, support and guide students throughout the day. She has a gentle and fun personality. She is also very dedicated and even came to support the students at a Special Olympics Basketball tournament!” ~ Miss Pechous

“Kim is fantastic! I really enjoy having Kim in my classroom because she takes initiative to help where needed with whoever needs it. She sees a need and she fills it.” ~ Mrs. Luchterhand

“Kim is great! She is kind, compassionate, tender-hearted and a hard worker. She is also patient with the students. As a class para, she is tops! Some of her tasks include tracking student behaviors, grading papers, finding students after breaks, helping students in class, running errands, and getting Band-Aids and other minor triage. She helps me as a teacher stay focused on teaching.” ~ Miss Houk

“KIM HARRY IS AMAZING!!!!!  She is compassionate, warm and SO VERY kind to the students!! She is such an asset to my class because she is willing to help out in whatever area needed. She does it all with such patience and joy!  Her compassion, patience, encouragement and motherly instincts make her more than equipped to work with our students, and I am SO thankful God brought her to Shepherds College!”  ~ Miss Pollard

Mrs. Harry is also thankful that God brought her to Shepherds College. At Christmas time, just a couple of months after starting her job at Shepherds, she opened a piece of Dove chocolate. The message on the wrapper said “Love what you do.” She thought, “Wow, my job at Shepherds is truly something that I love. I look forward to every day that I serve, and I feel that God has placed me in this special place to help me grow and mold me into the person He wants me to be. I started this job as a para thinking that I’d be helping students with intellectual disabilities, but most of the days, they are teaching me.”

The big hair may have changed over time, but the big heart never will. 

We are blessed to have Mrs. Harry as part of the Shepherds College family, still making warm memories for a whole new generation of young people.

 

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

Friday's Top Five

We have a lot to be thankful for at Shepherds College, and we want to share those blessings with you. So, every Friday, we plan to produce a list of our top accomplishments, moments, memories, and of course, blessings. Every list will be a little different, but they’ll all communicate the amazing things that are going on at Shepherds College.

Today, we want to share with you the top five most exciting things that have recently happened at Shepherds College:

1. The start-up of our blog!

Shepherds College blog, Time to Fly, went live on June 15. We are eager to see this blog reach more potential students, their parents, and education professionals. This blog will be used to share the stories of the students and faculty at Shepherds College because after all, they are the true face of the college. We hope to introduce you to our teachers through Teacher Tuesdays and the college’s main office staff through the weekly segment, The Office. So, if you haven’t taken the time to peruse the previous posts on our blog, read them and spread the word about Time to Fly.

2. The Class of 2012 has graduated!

June 9 was a bright and beautiful day, the perfect day for seven Shepherds College students to become graduates. After spending three years at Shepherds College, the second graduating class completed their program and received their certificates. Family, friends, and Shepherds College students and staff were there to celebrate with the graduates. It was an emotional day for everyone in attendance as it was easy to see the excitement and sense of accomplishment on the students’ faces. Congratulations, Class of 2012, on a job well done!

3. Photos from the 2012 Commencement Celebration are in!

On the night before graduation, Shepherds College graduates gathered with their families and college staff to celebrate their accomplishments. It was a special time for students and faculty to share their experiences from the last three years. Jim and Cathi Leibforth of Leibforth Photography volunteered their time and services to provide beautiful, professional photography for the students and their families. The Leibforths delivered the disk of original photos to Shepherds yesterday! The photos look wonderful, and we can’t wait to share all of them with you.

4. Shepherds College has been approved for Federal Student Aid!

Shepherds College students are now able to file for federal funding. Just like other college students, families can fill out FAFSA forms and apply for grants and loans to help them offset the cost of tuition. This new accomplishment is huge for the college. It took about 15 months for Shepherds College to receive the federal aid approval. We can’t wait to see how this exciting event will impact our current and future students.

5. Shepherds College is getting some attention!

Between the 2012 graduation and the recent approval for Federal Student Aid, Shepherds College has been generating some attention from various media sources. Check out this article at My Racine County.com to read about the graduation. Read this article in the Racine Journal Times or this article at My Racine County.com to learn more about the FSA approval. Also, check back with us as we plan to see some articles about Shepherds College in other publications in the near future.

As you can see, God has blessed us in several incredible ways in the last few weeks. Join us again soon to see what else we have to be thankful for.

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