Exeter High's new learning center will focus on supporting independent living skills

We are all guilty of taking things in our lives for granted. This holds true for many of the tasks that are part of everyday living such as cooking, cleaning and hosting friends and family at gatherings. For some people, those tasks are far more difficult and need to be practiced, similar to when children work on reading, writing and math skills in school. As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect,” and that holds true in this situation.

At SAU 16, we challenge ourselves to provide an exceptional learning environment to help shape today’s learners into tomorrow’s leaders. In one area however, we noticed a gap for some of our adult students who have independent living skills in their Individual Education Plans (IEP) that require a different approach outside of the traditional classroom setting.

Living as independently as possible is a goal for all our students. To address this, we are underway with finishing a substantial renovation to convert a district-owned house on property adjacent to Exeter High School (EHS) into a new special education Blue Hawk House Learning Center that mirrors traditional home living. The facility, which is known to be the first school district transitional learning center in New Hampshire, is designed to teach life skills and independent living to high school students with unique disabilities and bridge the gap for those who may need to hone skills for accomplishing these tasks. Everyone deserves to have equal opportunity and access to one’s community with personal independence and skills development.

The Learning Center will support these students by helping them learn independent living skills in a real-life setting. Our students will be learning practical skills for independent or group home living such as food preparation, kitchen skills, laundry, self-care, home maintenance and gardening. Everyday tasks such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, making a bed, organizing a gathering and hosting can be challenging for these students. They will learn social skills for community-based activities, problem-solving and work-based skills and tasks that are needed for adult living. For these students, the transfer of skills will be much easier when they are learned in a home-like setting. For instance, social skills practiced in a living room creates a natural environment for friends to engage in conversations and learning to cook or clean is more effective in a kitchen or bedroom versus in a traditional classroom.

As students finish up their four years at EHS, their educational teams begin to partner with community organizations and support for our students to work on additional independent living skills; however, now they can learn these skills while enrolled in and at the high school. The Learning Center is just one location among many in the community and at EHS that students will spend time in, while working on transitional goals in their IEP. While the facility is located on EHS property, it is a separate building that mimics a home setting to create a realistic environment that cannot be done in a classroom. These students will access this learning environment for part of their day, like when students spend time in various settings in the community. 

The concept for teaching these skills is the same as career and technical education (CTE) programs, which is the practice of teaching career services to students in middle school and high school to gain the skills, technical knowledge, academic foundation and real-world experience needed to prepare for the workforce. Many students go to a separate facility for driver’s education classes and other extracurricular activities, and this is no different. It is another resource that will be provided for the success of our students. We are anticipating and are preparing for students from EHS that do not have IEPs joining their peers for cooking experience or social gatherings. This Learning Center will be open to those who are not on IEPs when possible. We are very proud of how inclusive EHS is for all our students and we will continue that practice at the Learning Center.

What was once a rental property, originally built in 1958, the single-story house is being transformed into a 1,700 square foot Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant facility with mechanical and electrical upgrades such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, and a new water well, pump and heater. Further, its sole energy source will be 100 percent solar powered with the addition of a full solar panel array. The unique project has been called out as a creative way to use federal funds from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for everything from demolition and construction to purchasing appliances, furniture and supplies.

We are excited to share this project. The Blue Hawk House Learning Center is expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2022/2023 school year. This is an amazing opportunity for our adult student population, and we are excited to be able to provide them with this new facility tailored specifically for their learning needs. We believe that having our students in a setting that replicates real-life will impact their learning best and contribute greatly to their growth and development. This is part of our commitment to provide high-quality instruction for all students and this facility expands our students' ability to access authentic learning experiences that will play a significant role in their transition out of high school.

Renee Beauregard-Bennett is the director of student services at SAU 16.