Dively, who aspires to work at Cracker Barrel upon graduation, was hard at work in the lab Thursday, wrapping 24 simulated hamburgers and placing them neatly in straight lines on her tray.

Throughout the week, Dively has picked up speed with her skills and continues to record progress, according to her teacher, Paige Matteson Lieb.

Junior Jonathan Carnell was also able to manipulate his tool set much quicker than before, Lieb said. Carnell was using an Allen wrench to unscrew bolts from his set.

He later screwed the bolts back in, and likewise, Dively unwrapped her burgers and cleaned up her station. The students were timed and their skills were monitored and recorded into a job site management report.

Altoona Area junior Jonathan Carnell uses an Allen wrench to remove bolts from his tool set Thursday in the high school’s Practical Assessment Exploration System lab. Mirror photo by Matt Churella

When the students come in for the day, they use a QR code to clock in, put on their PAES uniform and check their folder to determine their assignment for the day, Dively said.

They then go to one of five workstations and complete the tasks on their job card, such as wrapping hamburgers in the consumer service area or working with wrenches and bolts in the construction industrial area.

The lab’s other workstations include business marketing, which helps students strengthen their cash register skills; processing production, for things like visual perception and paper cutting; and computer technology, which focuses on word processing, emails and information management.

Brendle said she had some experience in PAES labs before working at Altoona Area and thought a lab would be beneficial for the district’s special education students to strengthen their vocational skills.

“We want them to be as independent as possible once they leave high school,” Brendle said. “We always want to make sure that they’re able to thrive because all students are capable.”

Over the summer, Brendle approached the district’s administration with the idea, she said. After touring another PAES lab, school officials turned to the Altoona Area School District Foundation in October to help them get the program up and running.

PAES officials visited Altoona Area in January to help Brendle set up the lab and by mid-February, the district’s remaining teachers were trained to be supervisors in the lab, Brendle said.

Paula Foreman, the foundation’s executive director, said its goal is to help support programming throughout the district.

Funding the PAES program was exciting because Altoona Area has a large population of special education students, who will be able to become productive citizens and gain real-world employment.

“This is exactly why we have the school district foundation,” Foreman said. “I’m really thankful for all of our local partners that help support it because it’s their donations that fund these kinds of programs and these experiences and opportunities for our kids.”

Brendle said the PAES lab is considered an ongoing assessment, meaning students are able to work in the lab throughout the school year and in future school years until they graduate.

Currently, between 80 and 100 students use the lab at Altoona Area, but only five students are permitted to be in the lab at once, she said.

Carnell said he enjoys spending time in the PAES lab.

“It helps me a lot by working on stuff,” he said. “If I go somewhere with that (skillset), I’ll be able to know what to do.”

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.