At Jan. 12’s school board meeting, Transition 99 students Max Foster, Samantha Labriola and David Lopez shared their experience with T99’s recent partnership with Oak Brook Fitness Center.

All three students spoke not only to their enjoyment of the program, but also to the independence they gain through exploring the equipment available at the fitness center. Students also have the opportunity to swim at DGN, where Labriola is a peer leader in the T99 swim program.

For T99 Department Chair Carolina Schoenbeck, fitness activities like these showcase students’ growth over time.

“Some students can’t swim at all and we’re able to teach them to swim, and then they’re doing laps independently for 30 to 40 minutes,” Schoenbeck said.

T99 is District 99’s program to support learning after high school for students with special needs. Partnerships like the one with Oak Brook Fitness are integral in teaching students a myriad of skills, from productivity during periods of unstructured time to locker room etiquette.

At T99, education is not measured by letter grades, Schoenbeck says. Rather, students’ progress can be seen in their application of real-life skills.

“We’re always looking for additional business partners for students to job train at…[If] anyone has a business where, even if it’s just putting labels on, [they offer] something simple. There’s little niche jobs for our students and we’d love for anyone who has an opportunity like that to share it with us,” Schoenbeck said.

Board members also discussed topics like facility planning, a potential camera system upgrade and staff recruitment.

Assistant Superintendent for Learning Resources Dr. Travis McGuire introduced a five-year contract for the upgraded camera system that could be implemented as early as February.

With this new security system, staff can search for specific footage and even monitor certain entryways for intruders.

“It allows for real-time intervention,” McGuire said.

According to him, the software will enhance the current approach to security in District 99 and protect students from potential intruders.

“There may be an issue where someone is in distress and [the system] would allow for those types of things to be identified as a much easier way than what we currently have,” McGuire said.

Meeting agendas and future meeting dates for the District 99 board can be found through their website here.