SCHOOLS

Calhoun celebrates ‘Prep’ program

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Students and teachers in Calhoun High School’s “Prep for the Future” program, other Calhoun staff and local business leaders enjoyed sunny weather, finger-licking food and one another’s company on June 9 at the school.

Calhoun held an end-of-school-year barbecue to thank the community for its support of Prep for the Future, the school’s vocational program for students with cognitive disabilities. Prep for the Future offers students “real-world experiences through volunteer and work programs with companies from all over the Bellmore-Merrick community,” according to a Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District news release. Calhoun teachers and the South Oaks Comprehensive Behavior Health Continuum’s staff run the program.

“We call this an appreciation barbecue because without these businesses, without these organizations allowing these kids to work in their establishments, we wouldn’t have a program,” said Mary Jo Kennedy, director of Prep for the Future.