Feature Photo by: Izzy Honey- Mrs. Lopez works with her students Malyah Hall, Zach Hertz, Sunny Fields, and Dallas Pannell to gather the school’s recycling. They work with the Environmental Club to collect recycling daily.
No student is left behind at Rangeview this year as the school begins to meet the needs of every RHS student. Rangeview has recently made a change in their Student Services Program to help to accommodate all of the students.
Rangeview is catering to the needs of these students with the new addition of the Developmental Learning Center (DLC). In previous years, Rangeview has offered only the Independent Learning Center (ILC) which helped students who have a mental disability such as autism. Now, Rangeview is opening its doors to students with different kinds of disabilities. The DLC works with students with more severe disabilities that require more isolation from the student body and more one-on-one focus from a teacher.
Erica Ceyrolles, an Exceptional Student Services (ESS) teacher says, “[The DLC students] practice life skills, daily skills, and independence… they rarely interact with people outside the classroom.”
Their classroom is in the back of the commons near the old Senior Section. They spend their entire day in this room.
Gabriella Wiegand, RHS Junior who worked with some of these students when she was at Columbia Middle School, says that having a high school so close to Columbia allows a good transition from middle to high school for the students in the program. Although she is not completely informed about the changes that have been set in place, she says, “This is a dream that we had for the students since middle school.”
Although it is too early to tell what kind of impact this program change is going to have on the Rangeview community, Ceyrolles trusts that this program will be positive. She hopes that the students and families involved in the program as well as the student body will be positively impacted.
Kyle Hirsch, a Rangeview counselor, says that there are not very many options within the district for the students so it’s good that Rangeview offers DLC.
There are “centralized programs to each school in the district,” says Hirsch. “Each school has a special needs program, but we also have specializations in each building, like Rangeview has the DLC, which is unique to that segment of the Special Ed population.” Rangeview has put in the DLC program to help cater to students needs while other schools in the district cater to different needs to other students.
Even though Rangeview has been given the chance to include a wider spectrum of children, many of the students do not know very much about the program and the changes. Wiegand said that she would like to get involved with the program again, but, does not really know what it’s like at the school.
Darrin Fauser, a Junior at Rangeview says, “I know that there is a special needs program at Rangeview, however, there isn’t much said about it and I don’t think it’s well enough known to the students.”
Students may see some of the kids in these programs around school, though. According to Hirsch the students in the ILC attend school assemblies and an adult can be seen accompanying them in the front row of some of the bleachers. It is definitely more difficult for the students in DLC to participate in school activities and, as a result, they are rarely seen outside of their classroom.
Nonetheless, most people can agree that this will eventually greatly impact the school.
The ability for Rangeview to incorporate programs like the ILC and DLC “speaks to [Rangeview’s] desire to be inclusive,” says Hirsch. Wiegand agrees, saying, “The students will bring a new perspective to the school.” The Special Needs programs at Rangeview High School can even open up opportunities to other RHS students outside of the program.
Wiegand excitedly explains, “people are going to learn how to treat the kids.” Hirsh agrees, adding, “It provides the opportunity for mainstream students to learn to interact with these students”.
As Rangeview begins to work with students with all educational needs, everyone will be learning. Families and their children have a school they can trust to support the learning styles they need. The student body will learn more about people who are different from themselves. Although it’s too soon to tell, the program is meant to have a positive impact.
