WCHS Pathways and Connections classes ‘Secret Santa Shoppe’ to open Dec. 15 – and you can help!

Warren County High School recently alerted its community to the opening of a life skills holiday program through its Special Education Department. Below is that publicly circulated notice in its entirety:

Each year, the Pathways and Connections classes in the WCHS Special Education Department, in partnership with WCHS DECA, offer a “Secret Santa Shoppe” for our severe to profound special needs students receiving services in that area. Throughout the school year, these students earn “Wildcat Dollars” for academic achievement and demonstrating good citizenship. They then spend these earned dollars in this Secret Santa Shoppe, buying gifts for their family members. This process of “shopping” enables these students to learn and practice skills learned within the Life Skills identified in their individualized education plan (IEP).

The WCHS DECA chapter operates this “store” and also assists with teaching these students lifelong consumer spending skills. Part of our task is to stock the store with items for the SPED students to buy. We need to provide gifts for ninety-five (95) family members of these students. We plan to open this store for our students from December 15 – 17, 2021.

In past years, private citizens have donated used items to stock this store. This year, we have decided to reach out to our business community to secure gift cards with which to shop for these students’ family members or “in-kind” donations. We would love to include your business in our project this year. Please consider donating products or gift cards to our project.

If you are willing to assist, please contact me at Warren County High School (540-635-4144, ext. 44210). Thank you for your consideration.