Murray, NEB- Life Skills is a program at Conestoga Jr/Sr high that helps with everything from bringing students together to janitorial duties.

“Life Skills is about learning and growing, it’s a family environment,” stated Ms. Laurel, “in here we learn to grow as a person, but also how to move forward in life. We’re all one big family and have a lot of fun helping out the kids, but also helping the other students in the building.”

The Life Skills students also do a lot of janitorial work in order to keep everything clean and in order for all their peers in the building.

“We do a lot of work experience here, like cleaning the lunch tables, vacuuming, taking out teachers’ trash and replacing the bags, custodial work, and helping in the kitchen,” explains Ms. Laurel. “We learn health and safety from sanitizing tables and lunch trays. We keep the school clean, healthy, and running for everyone else.”

When asking one of the Life Skills students her thoughts on life skills, Megan G said, “I think that it’s very helpful for kids who don’t know a lot of stuff or have a hard time. In here they help us understand math, reading, writing, and learning. It’s a very fun and safe environment, we do a lot of work and games.”

The Life Skills program also does a lot of arts and crafts. They sell their products to raise money for equipment they need and other fundraising purposes.

“We do a lot of fundraisers for some things like a cricket press and a shirt press,” says Christian A. “We fundraise for class trips, an ice machine, and really just things to benefit the classrooms so we can all continue to grow and learn.”

“Make sure to check us out, maybe say hi in the hallways, and help out the fundraiser!” says Ms. Laurel.