Students and staff of Leo A. Palmiter High School and Elinor L. Hickey Jr./Sr. High School celebrated successes at the 18th Annual "School-to-World" Awards ceremony on May 24.
The "School-to-World" program is a partnership between the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) and areas businesses that offer students valuable entry-level job experience, connections with local business professionals, an opportunity for immediate use of their newly acquired job skills, and an active way to learn social skills.
Serving as the event guest speaker was Sacramento-area restauranteur Tariq Munir. He came to the United States when he was 18 years old with only $500. Today, he owns more than 25 restaurants, several of which employ SCOE students.
Mr. Munir praised the students for getting involved with the WorkAbility Program, a training program for special needs students, designed to promote career awareness and exploration while students complete their secondary education. He told the students the key to his success was hard work.
"I never had a problem finding a job because of the attitude I had," Mr. Munir said. "It was all because of the hard work. It's all I really, really, really needed."
The "School-to-World" program provides the services, support system, and opportunities that most at-risk students need to be ready for college and the workforce. The Palmiter and Hickey campuses are operated by SCOE's Special Education Department for students with specialized learning needs.
LINKS is a pioneering career technical education program offering career training courses for eligible Community School students. Services are tailored to individual students based on their specific needs instead of through traditional, scripted education.
During the event, several local businesses were honored with Business Partner Awards for providing employment and other workforce preparation assistance to SCOE's "School-to-World" students:
- Auto Mobile Express
- Deseret Industries
- Dimple Records
- Dollar Tree Stores
- El Herrardero Restaurant
- Fulton-El Camino Parks & Recreation District
- Golden Pond Retirement Community
- IHOP (International House of Pancakes)
- Johnny Rockets
- Mediterranean Market
- Old Navy
- Oxford Street
- Petco
If you are a business owner and would like to learn more about the "School-to-World" program please email or phone Michael Laharty: (916) 228-2005.