Transition Training Question
Does anyone know what type of training the students get prior to transitioning out of MHS? Do they go through types of seminars, briefs, presentations, etc... on things to expect after MHS? Resources available to them to network to other Milts or POC's for issues they might run into? Just trying to get an idea of how things are set up now in order to create a plan of action to make the process better. If anyone has any info I would appreciate it. Thanks, Todd 93'
I'm amazed that the School went from Military Academy to this FINALLY after 90+ years in business. 
It sounds like an amazing program and the kids aren't just pack mules following sheep like we were forced to do. Kudo's to O'Brien or Lepley or whomever had the brains to do this!
Linda, naw in 7 years and 3 months with the exception of Evergreen for 6 months (where we made jelly roll breakfast treats on Sundays) did I ever see a raw piece of meat beyond breakfast or lunch meat. That's 7 student homes too!
As for cooking, I had a great Pa Dutch grandmother who taught me to cook starting at age 5 as tradition with the culture. Just suprised me we couldn't do that then, WAIT, the bovines were more important than lifeskills.
will teach you how to budget or you will starve. I love this program and think the kids will benefit greatly from it. WTG MHS. This program is very important in the growth of these fine young people. I am sure we all wish we had it when we were Spartans.
unc
Is there any type of evaluation process for the students in Transitional Living? Do they report to anyone on how their budgeting is going, what they are learning, how to make it better, lessons learned, etc... Is that what the adult's who live there do? Just wondering.
there are two seniors who asked us if we could take them to the mall with us being that they don't have a car yet, while waiting to go i was talking to them about the situation and they were acting like they had no food or money left to buy it...the one girl was late to the van after the mall....CUZ SHE WAS GETTING HER NAILS DONE!!!! I think they meant the schools money for food was gone, but they need to realize you can and will have to cut into your own money for necessities as well as the glamor stuff. I just thought it was funny cuz i was feeling sorry for them about the food thing.
I think it is a great idea/program! Wondering about their food choices when they shop/cook. Hope they try to keep it healthy.
That is what I thought. Here is a summary of what Peter Gurt, MHS VP Home Life said about this subject.
This is the first year that all of the seniors will be living in Transitional Living. They are using the older homes; some of you remember them as A, B, C. Some remember them as Allen, Boone, Cooper, Emerson, Jackson. All of those homes have been converted into the Transitional Living Program. According to Pete, “We have our work cut out for us. We know that we can do better before our seniors leave us. Some of that is in their academic readiness. Some of that is in their character readiness. And some of that is because they never had to really learn and practice the skills they were taught in the student homes. That is the point behind Transitional Living. We have had significant success in our pilot.”
There are currently eight Transitional Living cottages. Each one of the cottages has five apartments. There will be four seniors living in each one of the apartments. There are two adults in each cottage, Transitional Living Coordinator and Transitional Living Assistant. They are very similar to Houseparents. But they do not wake the kids up, they do not get them ready for school, they do not do the kinds of things that Houseparents do all throughout the Milton Hershey School experience. The seniors have a very rigorous program in financial management. They have a very rigorous program in time management, about sexuality, about all the things that are facing seventeen year olds in the world today. Every month there is a particular focus in the curriculum about how to get them ready for that ultimate transition. A lot of the seniors have jobs, some earning money, both on campus and throughout the community. That is not a requirement.
They participate in the school programs like anyone else. They go to chapel and events like that. Many retain good relationships and visit with their former houseparents and student homes.
Each apartment has a budget - $70 a week. They are responsible to go to the Giant to shop for the week and to live within their budget. They cook their own meals
Almost all seniors have a driver’s license. For the first couple of months the Transitional Living coordinator trains the seniors on how to take care of a car, which includes things like insurance and other things that other seniors in the country are taught. Around November, seniors begin driving to get certain things done.
This is a wonderful program. If you have additional questions and/or concerns please address them to Pete at Homecoming.
We covered for two different Sets of seniors going into TL this summer and met the 2 Adults. It's funny they have already started to treat there home as frat houses. Meaning they are making up little songs for there houses and hand signals to represent the initials of the name of the houses. For example one of the girls of Longfellow sang a song which I forget but the chorus substituted umbrella with Longfellow in the pop song by Rihanna that goes... Under my umbrella..ella..ella...eh eh eh
I need to confirm the number of adults living in each cottage before I post.
multi age homes anymore, they did away with that...I always thought it was a really bad idea and now the school has corrected that, it is back to the three divisions except for seniors are all in the transitional living homes. Lewis, your houseparents should have made you learn to cook, it is part of the homelife experience and now most of the highschool homes have the kids in the kitchen helping or doing the cooking themselves. Markus and i laugh when a senior division student asks us when are WE making dinner. They are old enough to learn and i am totally willing to help them learn, but they need to be in there with me participating.
The MHSAA Board enthusiastically supports the Transitional Living program. At the Board meeting last Sunday, August 19, Peter Gurt gave us an update on this program – and other programs. This year ALL seniors will be participating. Shortly, I will post the specifics that Peter told us.
Two weeks ago at the Philly Chapter Picnic I made a fellow almunus from '86 spit out her food when I recalled the story of a dorm and classmate who blew through $250k. That's not the $100 check and suitcase but a QUARTER MILLION in two months.
I am still befuddled as to why the MHSAA BOD is so opposed to this thought process. Maybe I am looking back from a more stringent time period but as Todd stated previously being in that controlled environment for nearly 300 days a year and everything handed to you - a student is not going to be on the same page as their public school counterpart.
How many of us didn't learn how to prepare food, sorry in 7 years I was never in a student home where food was delivered "raw" and only ONCE in seven years did we even go to a grocery store as a unit for a real life application.
Time and budget management, teenage angst, basically all the stuff our "real world" counterparts/peers go through.
Sorry about the ramble but my question is why is the MHSAA BOD so opposed to this? Is it because they went to the school of hard knocks and "this is the way it is"? I'm confused.
That's cool, didn't know anyone did that while we were there. Don't the kids live with all age groups now?
a great idea you came up with. Learning responsibility and being on your own somewhat must have been a great feeling. My senior year I kind of did the same thing. I was in college prep tech machine shop and I told Mr. Hoerner that I didn't want to be a machinist. I asked him if I could help Mr. Klingler in gym class and be his assistant. He talked to Klingler and they agreed. So my whole senior year I help teach gym classes. That was really fun and very educational too. My dream at that time was to become a teacher and football coach. My dream changed, but my experiences were most valuable in the business world.
unc
Back then. My senior year came around and i convinced Mr.Weller to save me from my rotten situation by coming up with an idea he approved of and we made it happen.... About six of us seniors went back to live with our favorite houseparents, for me it was middle school the Mladenoff's we were to be like helpers to the houseparents, and big brother or sisters to the students! it was awesome, cuz they allowed me to make my own decisions and set my own schedule and stuff, and we had to find our own rides to stuff...except school, which taught us responsibilty. I had the best senior year ever and I don't think I could have made it one more year being so controlled by the highschool houseparents who treated me like i was a ninth grader.
I wish we had that back then! That is definitely a step in the right direction.
from when we graduated. I could've used a few lessons on finances and budgeting. Not that I was out of control, I just really had no clue.
where all the seniors are in dorm like apartments and have to buy their own food...they are given 70.00 a week i heard for four students to budget. they are not given rides anywhere at this point, although soon a shuttle bus will start up where they can go to the mall, movies, wal mart etc. they are still given rides to work if they have a job, their curfew is 11 on weekdays and 12 on weekends, they can do mostly what ever they want ...with in reasonable limits of course. I hear if they get their drivers license the school will provide each home a car or two but they all have to share it and pay for gas. I am not sure if they have classes on money and time management after the milt or field trips to the grocery store to see how things add up so quickly ??? they should have these programs and a lesson on not getting into credit card debt!!!
I know a few that went the drug/out of control way. It is almost being turned to a tight rubber band so when your finally let go you just spring out of control. I think I drank more before the age of 20 than I did since I was turned 21 (but I was fortunate enough to be more of the weekend warrior and still show up for work everyday.) Being repressed so long then sprung loose with no game plan is a dangerous combination.
I guess I was wondering what type of information do seniors get prior to leaving MHS? For example, in the Army you go through ACAP a year out, which provides resources for jobs, resume's, VA benefits, college info, etc... We have all these resources available, but I don't remember ever getting that information before leaving the Milt. I was trying to identify areas in which we can leverage existing processes to disseminate alumni information (man do I sound like a consultant!) I like the idea of transitional living, cause I know I wasn't prepared for college when I got out. I had zero time management: The van was always there to take me where I needed to go, the food was always delivered, I didn't know what a utility bill was, no check and balance for going to class, no one there to take merits if my room wasn't clean, etc... I guess I am asking what the process is to prepare grads for real life, of which I know transitional living is one, but not sure about the second point I brought up.
The Transitional living may just be that answer. At first I was against it, but I think I was wrong with that view. If I had it back in the "old" days it may have helped me a lot. I went crazy with the freedom I hadn't had for 7 years. I chased women and got drunk and high. I went to college and got drunk and high. I went to work and got drunk and high. I was on a vicious circle to an early death. It was 3 years after leaving the Milt that I finally got my act together.
It is a shame that you had no skills taught to you at the Milt. Thank God you left and got in a co-op program. Maybe HIS was a better name for our school. The key word being (industrial). Those programs taught the kids a trade and it was easy to get a job with that education. The trade program was second to no one.
unc
This is a great question. I ended up leaving in the middle of my junior year (mostly due to emotional issues after my housefather died and some other small ones that didn't help) but another one of my fears was "What do I do when I graduate?" I really had no job skills at the time and living in Philly is sooooo much more different than living in Hershey. After I left and enrolled in a public high school I signed up for a work co op program my senior year where I worked one week and went to school one week. It was the greatest move I ever made. Yes, I wish I would have stuck it out and graduated from the Milt but I do know I have wondered more than once what I would have done if I graduated there and came home to Philly with no job and no experience to get a job. I know I couldn't afford not to work. It was just my mother and I and she was on a limited income. I was thankful for the work my senior year because I gave more than half my check to my mother to help with bills. I wonder what the alumi do if they don't have parents/family to help them out when they graduate. Some have no one to live with when they leave or even help them financially. Is there a program offered to assist with these dilemmas? Being thrown out into the "real world" with a suitcase and $100 is terrifying to me.
I think the TL program is great, but it has its quirks. I know one girl who ran away from TL three or four times, and faced no punishment. Even as a senior in a normal household, a kid would get their butt beat for that. they need to come up with consequences for things like that.