St. Joseph's Life Skills students gather virtually for coffee club
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While some students have grown weary of the emergency distance learning that’s replaced classroom interactions, there’s a group from St. Joseph’s Catholic High School that can’t wait to log on at 10:30 a.m. each weekday.
When the province abruptly closed schools in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the special education team at St. Joe’s came up with the idea of a daily virtual coffee club for students in the Life Skills Program.
The number of participants remains strong months later, with 16 people taking part in Tuesday’s online meeting.
Anick Deeg describes the daily session as “a lifeline” for her and her 17-year-old son Ben.
“When all this first happened we were taken aback,” Anick said. “I was in a state of panic a little bit. Ben is an only child so it’s just the two of us here at home. From a social aspect, this has been a lifesaver for us.”
While Ben chats and virtually visits with one close friend, seeing other familiar friendly faces is something he looks forward to.
“It has been important to me each and every day,” the Grade 12 student said. “I really like my friends and I miss them when I can’t see them.”
Tuesday’s coffee club opens as a happy mashup of hellos and greetings as students and staff connect with each other. Eventually, Nicole Cabana, the learning support service teacher, asks the students to mute their microphones so she can share details about a virtual dance contest and then offer up a question of the day which engages each student in conversation.
“For some of these students, this is the only way they’re engaged with their school right now,” Cabana said. “One of their strengths is being social and this speaks to the need for that. Maintaining social connections and communication skills is important. They’ve done a really nice job. The communication and social skills, they’ve picked up on it in a virtual way.”
Educational assistant Suzanne Meloche described some of the early coffee club gatherings as “mayhem” as multiple voices tried eagerly to share all at once.
“Now they know to mute their microphones, it’s been neat to see how much you can teach and how much you can learn,” Meloche said.
Different school staff members have dropped into the coffee club to say hello, including the janitor.
“Everybody who works with these students have a love for what they do,” Cabana said. “As a group, we mesh well.”
The entire experience has helped ease Anick’s mind as Ben’s high school days draw to an unusual close and he prepares to start his studies in landscape horticulture at St. Clair College this fall.
“Ben has learned from being with this team and this group of students,” Anick said. “He understands his friends have different levels of function. It’s really grown his empathy and his ability to recognize the strengths and needs in others. He’s ready for the next challenge.”
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