There is a silver lining to the closure of the campus last spring. It meant that the renovation of our Life Skills Center could carry on without interrupting student learning.

When students returned this fall, they found that the Life Skills Center, a stand-alone two-story house on the campus, had been gutted and fully updated.

The center now features a professional-style kitchen, where students can learn culinary skills, a renovated laundry and living area, a modern center for physical therapy, an updated electronics recycling center, and a new hydroponic garden center for ‘farm to table’ learning. 100% of the cost was funded by The Forum School Foundation.

Before the pandemic, most older students had jobs in local stores and businesses, but that option is no longer safe.

“While our students can no longer go out into the community to work, our strong connections with our employment partners have allowed much of that work to come to them,” said Tom Monsma, Structured Learning Experiences Coordinator. Retail stores, restaurants, a local dentist and an area car dealership are among the business partners that have sent work to the school for students.