Our district offers unique Transition programs to help students build independence and prepare for life after high school. Each program provides different learning opportunities based on student needs.

On-Campus Transition Programs focus on everyday life skills and campus jobs. Students learn in Life Labs—special spaces where they practice cooking, cleaning, and other daily living skills. They also take on real responsibilities like delivering packages, helping with laundry services, and keeping the campus beautiful. These programs are offered at Harmony, Osceola, Poinciana, and Tohopekaliga High Schools.

Off-Campus Transition Programs take learning into the community! Students work at local businesses such as the City of Kissimmee, Denny’s, and Give Kids the World, gaining hands-on experience and workplace skills. Some students even move on to Project SEARCH, a one-year program that takes place entirely in a real workplace. Off-campus programs are offered at Celebration, Gateway, Liberty, and St. Cloud High Schools.

Dependent Transition Programs provide extra support for students who need it most. These programs are highly structured and focus on building vocational, life, and social skills through routine and repetition. Students practice tasks like shredding, cleaning, and delivering items, and they learn daily living skills such as cooking and laundry. Social skills are reinforced through guided interactions and short, supervised outings. These programs are offered at Celebration and Gateway High Schools.

No matter which program students attend, the goal is the same—helping them gain confidence, independence, and the skills they need for a successful future!

Mrs. Paige is one of the Transition teachers at Harmony High School, working alongside Joe Allison and Hannah Dobbins. Their program offers a unique blend of on-campus and off-campus experiences to prepare students for real-world success.

Off-Campus Opportunities:

Students gain hands-on work experience at Wild Florida Safari Park, assisting the custodial team, and at Publix, where they work independently on the sales floor or in the back office. These placements help students develop essential workplace skills in authentic community settings.

On-Campus Enterprises:

Through these experiences, Harmony High’s Transition program empowers students to build independence, develop job skills, and contribute meaningfully to their school and community.

The Transition program at Osceola High School provides students with hands-on experiences that build independence, job readiness, and life skills. Students take on meaningful roles across campus gaining practical experience that prepares them for life after high school.

Ms. J (Bratton) leads a class where her students, the Kowboy Kouriers, deliver Amazon packages to teachers across multiple buildings. They also beautify the campus by collecting debris and recycling. These hardworking students also operate a laundry service that washes, dries, folds, and delivers clothing to Student Services. Creative projects—including vision boards, holiday ornaments, and birthday posters for staff—add an artistic element to their learning.

Casaundra Skowronski leads the other class that also participate in campus-based activities--her class recently launched a shredding service to assist with office document management. This amazing group of students also participate in community outreach--creating Community Care Packages, where the students assembled care packages to be delivered to individuals experiencing homelessness. This activity not only provides support to those in need but also reinforces the program’s focus on empathy, teamwork, and real-world problem-solving.

Students in both classes actively participate in the Life Lab, where they practice essential daily living skills such as cooking, baking, and home organization. These activities help students build independence and confidence while applying practical skills in a real-world setting. In addition to on-campus learning, both classes recently visited Gaylord Palms to explore career pathways and gain insight into Project SEARCH—a program designed to support individuals with disabilities in achieving competitive employment. These experiences provide students with valuable exposure to future opportunities while reinforcing the program’s focus on independence and job readiness.

Ms. Damaris Díaz and Ms. Melba Díaz are the dedicated Transition teachers at Poinciana High School. They work tirelessly to help students develop real-life job and independent living skills. Students engage in daily campus tasks such as recycling, organizing materials, and delivering items to different departments. In the Life Lab, they practice essential routines like cooking, laundry, dishwashing, and home-care skills—building confidence for life beyond school.

The program also runs a small classroom business where students create handmade beaded bracelets as well as holiday ornaments. Teachers and staff often make donations when they receive one, giving students the chance to learn customer service, responsibility, and pride in their work.

They are both incredibly proud of their students’ growth and grateful for the dedication of the paraprofessionals who support the program each day. Together, the team’s goal is to provide effective strategies that prepare students for greater independence and success in the future.

Joyce Guerra Pittman leads the Off-Campus Transition program at Celebration High School alongside her assistant, Cheryl Thomas. Together, they teach students essential real-world work and life skills that prepare their students for independence and success.

When off campus, students volunteer at Give Kids the World, working in the café and performing a variety of tasks. They also practice price comparison, safety, and communication skills during community-based instruction.

On campus, the class runs several businesses throughout the year. Through Creative Crafts, students create homemade holiday décor, including knitted hats, glitter jars, customized ornaments, and other festive items. They also make gourmet coffee and treats to sell, learning customer service and money management skills. When not running their businesses, students assist with package delivery, work in Student Services, and focus on personal hygiene, money skills, and communication. Items for Creative Crafts are sold through MySchoolBucks. Make sure to check out the classes advertisement that was created for their holiday crafts sale... ESE Holiday Extravaganza Commercial.

Spanish version: ESE Festivivdad Extravaganza Comerical

Ms. Guerra Pittman is proud of her students’ accomplishments so far and looks forward to seeing what exciting opportunities develop next semester.

David Martinez Jr. serves as one of the off-campus Transition teachers at Gateway High School, where his mission is to prepare students for meaningful employment and independent living. Through a long-standing partnership with the City of Kissimmee—now in its eighth year—students gain hands-on, real-world work experience across various city departments and at the Kissimmee Civic Center. These opportunities help students develop essential workplace skills in authentic community settings.

Once students successfully complete the program and demonstrate readiness for employment, they may transition to Project SEARCH, a nationally recognized, business-led initiative. Project SEARCH is a unique, one-year employment preparation program conducted entirely in the workplace. It combines classroom instruction, career exploration, and immersive job training through multiple worksite rotations, culminating in individualized job development to ensure long-term success.

Students have access to three exceptional Project SEARCH sites:

These sites provide extensive training and career pathways that often lead to lifelong employment.

In addition to workplace readiness, Mr. Martinez teaches students how to navigate public transportation using Lynx. Traveling throughout Kissimmee and Orlando, students learn to read schedules, plan routes, and practice responsibility while using public transit—critical skills for independence. The program also emphasizes life skills such as financial literacy, time management, organization, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, personal responsibility, and daily living skills like meal planning, grocery shopping, and personal care.

Finally, the program includes Community-Based Instruction (CBI), which students truly enjoy. They select venues to explore and experience, reinforcing social, vocational, and life skills in real-world environments.

Through this comprehensive approach, Gateway High School’s Transition program empowers students to achieve their career goals and thrive as independent, contributing members of the community.

Mrs. McGee, who also serves as one of the Off-Campus Transition teachers at Gateway High School, works alongside Ms. Roberts to provide community-based instruction that takes learning beyond the classroom. This approach helps students prepare for adulthood and independence by practicing essential skills such as shopping, money management, public transportation, appropriate public behavior, and general safety.

Students gain hands-on experience at the Osceola Council on Aging, volunteering in areas like the Senior Center, food pantry, food drives, Meals-on-Wheels, and transportation services. These opportunities allow students to develop job skills, strengthen interpersonal communication, build confidence, and improve their work ethic.

On campus, students manage the Panther Kiosk—a school-based enterprise that sells snacks and small trinkets to the campus community. Through this business, students learn marketing strategies, finance management, customer service, and teamwork, all while gaining invaluable experience in running a successful enterprise.

Keshia Reid Jasper, along with her teammate Mrs. Chaves, lead the Off-Campus Transition program at Liberty High School. This program is quietly transforming everyday moments into powerful learning experiences. Each week, students step into real workplace roles through a partnership with the local Denny’s, where they practice communication, teamwork, and responsibility in a professional setting. Next semester, they will expand their opportunities with a work experience location at a thrift store.

On campus, their impact is just as visible. Students sort and deliver mail, pack ice for the clinic, complete inventory in the school store, and assist custodial staff with tasks that keep the school running smoothly. They have also launched the Charger Garden, turning an empty space into a thriving project for the school community to plan, plant, and care for together.

This year, the class is taking on an exciting new venture: opening the Charger Sweets Café on select days. This student-run spot will teach customer service, money management, inventory, and business operations—skills that prepare students for independence and success. Purchases can be made via MySchoolBucks.

Through each of these hands-on experiences, students aren’t just completing tasks, they’re building confidence, gaining real job skills, and discovering their own abilities in meaningful ways.

Ms. Christine Garcia and Ms. Morgan Slavik lead the Transition Program at Saint Cloud High School which is designed for students ages 18–21 to build independence and prepare for life after high school. This program provides community-based experiences and hands-on learning opportunities that teach essential skills for adulthood and competitive employment.

Students participate in activities that foster independence, such as budgeting, meal planning, and cooking in natural environments. Transportation training helps students navigate the community safely, while Life Lab sessions focus on food safety, home-care routines, and problem-solving skills.

The program also emphasizes communication, teamwork, and vocational training through volunteering and real-world job experiences. Students gain confidence and interpersonal skills while working at sites like Orlando Health Saint Cloud and other community partners. These experiences encourage responsibility, improve work ethic, and build competitive job skills.

Ms. Edwards and Mr. Cook lead the Dependent Transition program at Celebration High School, where instruction is intentionally designed around each student’s individual abilities and needs. The classroom operates using rotations that include task boxes, small-group instruction, and TeachTown to build work and functional skills. Students also participate in school-based work experiences such as assisting with custodial support around campus, delivering teacher store orders, and providing laundry services for athletic teams. Across all activities, the focus remains on developing life and functional skills while strengthening students’ abilities through consistent practice and meaningful, hands-on experiences.

Dr. Richardson-Cooks and her amazing team of paraprofessionals lead the Dependent Transition program at Gateway High School, where students learn important life, social, and employability skills every day. The class uses rotations to teach these skills in fun and engaging ways, making sure lessons are clear and easy to follow.

Students work individually or in small groups on pre-vocational activities using Red Task Boxes. These tasks help strengthen fine and gross motor skills, improve attention to detail, and teach students how to follow directions. As students master these skills, they build confidence and increase their chances for future employment.

The program also uses district-approved curriculum like TeachTown and hands-on practice in the Life Lab to teach independent living skills. Students love applying what they learn across campus—and they’re especially excited about caring for their very own class garden!