Special needs students serve up success

North Ridgeville City School District deserves a great deal of credit for implementing programs for special needs students at North Ridgeville High School to learn business and entrepreneurial skills. ¶ The latest program receiving attention is a business called Capable Confections, which opened Feb. 12 at North Ridgeville High, 34600 Bainbridge Road.

This marks the second business that North Ridgeville High special needs students operate.

The first is Able Not Label, which opened in June 2023.

Both Able Not Label and Capable Confections are not-forprofit initiatives.

Brooke Roshong, district communications and marketing supervisor for North Ridgeville Schools, acknowledged that after Able Not Label opened and thrived, there was a demand for a second business at the school.

Capable Confections offers a variety of sweet treats and helps students of diverse abilities learn essential life skills like cooking, production, marketing and sales.

Capable Confections supervisor Stefanie Gaudino pointed out that after the success of Able Not Label, North Ridgeville High’s special needs staff wanted to expand the opportunities for the students.

The idea for Capable Confections came from the advisors touring adult day programs for special needs adults who are unable to work independently.

Gaudino believed that the school’s special needs students would show interest in a cooking class because of past labs.

Before the soft launch of Capable Confections, Valentine’s Day was chosen as the first big day of business. And what a beginning. Capable Confections received a lot of orders, and Gaudino admitted it was fun fulfilling them.

Now, the business will focus on two more big days in which it could receive multiple orders.

St. Patrick’s Day is expected to be a busy day as well as the Easter holiday.

Even outside of the major holidays where people like their sweet treats, the business is expected to remain open throughout the year.

So far, Gaudino is pleased with the community outreach.

The future looks bright for Capable Confections because people are getting to know the company along with Able Not Label. The brands are becoming pretty popular.

All funding from both ventures goes right back into the program to further student education, including buying more inventory, funding school trips and community outings to give parents a break.

Gaudino is really excited to promote this cause because so many people are helped and benefit from learning new skills.

Able Not Label is receiving a great deal of attention with its orders for custom-made clothing items and apparel.

Students have done personalized projects for local clubs.

With Able Not Label, the students participate in the design, creation and sale of each item so that they may learn every aspect of the business.

Able Not Label provides students with money management, social, vocational and customer service skills.

Able Not Label sells North Ridgeville High Rangers apparel and merchandise.

Students use a Cricut machine to cut vinyl and heat press to make the shirts.

What North Ridgeville Schools is doing falls in line with what the state is supporting for special needs students.

Several years ago, the Ohio Department of Education convened stakeholders to craft a plan aimed at improving learning experiences and outcomes for students with disabilities.

One of them is a program called Work-Based Learning for Schools and Educators.

Work-based learning is a coordinated sequence of experiences designed to provide students with real-world learning through partnerships with local business and industry.

The learning activities help a young person explore careers and choose an appropriate career path.

Benefits for the school includes strengthening partnerships between school and community, providing reinforcement of instruction for better comprehension and providing an alternative to building additional classrooms and laboratories to accommodate growth.

For students, they get an opportunity to engage in education.

The program is designed to reduce drop-out rates, make school relevant and develop problem solving and life skills for students.

Overall, work-based learning experiences are guided by the terms of what the business and the student agree upon.

The training or learning plan — including assumptions and agreements — is essential to the success of a program such as this.

Other school districts across the country likely are giving special needs students an opportunity to expand their skills.

And North Ridgeville School District is doing an exceptional job offering special needs students another pathway for success.