The goal of West High’s staff is to help students become successful as much as possible. One staff department that is a great part of our students’ success and is sometimes overlooked is the Special Education department.

When instructing special education there are two levels: Mild-Moderate and Moderate-Severe. West High specializes at the Moderate-Severe level. The program we have available is the Severely Handicap program, or S.H. program, and their main goal is to help their students become as independent as they can and for those who are able to get a job, get a job.

Tida Khuon, a special education teacher at West for 7 years said, “[The students learn] functional skills. Things we take for granted are really celebrated in our class.”

The different classes the S.H. program offers are: functional math and reading, fine arts and leisure activities, life skills and vocational skills. Staff members also go out of their way to budget weekly trips to the grocery store to teach the students how to cook or expose them to the experience.

As a result of their efforts, the students do well and enjoy their classes. One of Khuon’s students said, “Yes [I like to go to school]. I like homework and hanging out with my friends.” Another student said, “I like to play LEGOS and do art.”

The Special Education staff strive to do more for their students in and out of the classroom.