Tivy Treasures is KISD’s vocational work program aimed at building life skills in students with special needs. The program fosters teamwork, introduces new skills, and provides students with an opportunity to design a product from conception to creation.
“ Our goal for all of our kids is to be as independent as possible for them. All of the skills in Tivy Treasures build independence, and it’s not just vocational, it’s also skills like following a routine and being able to have self care,” said KISD’s Director of Education, Lynn Paulo.
The hands-on programming allows for students to gain skills such as cooperation, communication, and even in-person job experience through partnerships with local businesses.
“Just like for all Tivy High School graduates, we want our students to be productive members of the community, whatever that looks like for them,” said KISD’s Director of Education, Lynn Paulo.
Before being headquartered out of BT Wilson, Tivy Treasures revolved mainly around merchandize design. After moving into the education center, KISD’s Special Education Department could further serve its students beyond product design.
“ The program moving to this campus just opened up a lot more resources. For example, we do custodial services for the offices and we clean the library on Fridays,” said Tivy Treasures teacher, Danielle Alonzo.
The program is student-led, meaning Mrs. Alonzo shapes the activities and lessons around what the students are interested in.
“They even wanted to start a garden – so I wrote a grant for a garden that I know nothing about. And you know what? We’re gonna start a garden,” said Alonzo.
KISD’s Special Education department currently serves students from Early Childhood up to age 22. The department’s own programming, like Tivy Treasures or their work-program partnership with McDonalds or the Kroc Center, just scratches the surface of what KISD has to offer its students.
KISD ‘s Special Education Department is hosting a resource fair February 25 where students and parents can get access to a plethora of resources aimed to support students with disabilities. The all-inclusive event has resources for students of all ages, including assistance with applying to, and financing, post-secondary education options.
“ We have one section that’s all for the post-secondary transition, so we’ve got Schreiner University, Texas State, Texas Technical College, and the Texas Workforce Commission. Another section is all the agencies that serve younger kids, like speech or occupational therapists. Then our third group is everything in between, from information about summer camps to equine therapy.” said Paulo.
Currently KISD’s Special Education Department serves around 730 students, and the Resource Fair brings awareness to all the resources available to these students and their families to ensure a successful future, despite any obstacles.
“Like any student, finances can be a barrier between pursuing future options, so we have people here to help talk them through those things, like Medicaid coverage for therapies or filling out the FAFSA application. It’s important to know that parents don’t have to fork all this out for their kid to have these opportunities,” said Alonzo.
The resource fair is planned for Feb. 25, from 4-6 p.m., at the BT Wilson Education Center. Families are welcomed to come and learn about different resources and network with the agencies in attendance.
For more information, visit their website at: https://www.kerrville isd.net/departments-services/special-education.