Students make summer program ‘work’

WARREN — Five Warren Woods Public Schools students got a taste of what it’s like to go to work every day.

This summer, they participated in the Make It Work program at the district’s Enterprise High School from Aug. 5-15. The students were from Enterprise and Warren Woods Tower High School.

Under the direction of Michele Morgan, occupational therapist/transition coordinator for Enterprise and Warren Woods Tower, the students made pens, memorial plaques, tabletop Zen gardens, puzzles, magnets, birdhouses and weighted lap pads. One popular project was the stained glass night-lights with battery operated lights that resemble succulent plants.

Helping with the program were social worker Linda Hutchins and occupational therapy assistant interns Sarah Austin and Isabella Peyerk. The students made the items using different machinery, including a laser cutter, lathe machine, scroll saw, 3-D printer, wood and more. Through the program, the students also paid attention to their mental health and wellness.

Their creations are viewed by others. The granite memorials, for instance, are sold at a local Viviano Flower Shop and the Special Treasures store at the Macomb Intermediate School District building in Clinton Township. The Make It Work students also create signs and nameplates for Warren Woods and the Macomb Intermediate School District. Proceeds from the sales are used to support students. The students also donate items to classrooms and local programs.

Warren Woods Public Schools, Michigan Rehabilitation Services, and Michigan Works work together to offer the Make it Work program. Students who have a disability must have a case with Michigan Rehabilitation Services to qualify for the program. Students receive $14 an hour for participating in Make It Work.

On Aug. 6, members of Michigan Rehabilitation Services and Michigan Works visited the program, as did Warren Mayor Lori Stone and members of her staff.

Make It Work participant Matt Ulman, 18, was once a student of Stone’s when she taught at Mound Park Elementary School before going into politics. The two spent a few minutes catching up talking about Ulman’s time at Mound Park.

“I love seeing where students ended up, see how they change and what they’re doing now,” Stone said. “As much as they change and grow, they are always part of who they were at 9 and 10 years old.”

“It’s fun,” Ulman said of Make It Work. “You get to do a lot of things. It’s never just the same thing.”

While creating a Zen garden with sand and miniature ducks and swans, student Madison Henderson also had a conversation with the mayor. Since last Tuesday was the primary election, Henderson and Stone talked about voting.

At the scroll saw, volunteer Tom Dembeck showed students Marcus Esson, Tristan Burton and Andrea Williams the proper way to make jigsaw puzzle pieces.

“Ready to do the next one?” Dembeck asked Esson. “Any shape you can think of you can cut. There you go. You got it.”

After making their puzzle pieces, Esson and Williams sat down to decorate them by gluing napkins to the puzzle pieces, giving them a detailed look.

“I think I need a little more experience but it will come with time,” Esson said of working on the scroll saw.

He’s glad to be in the program.

“I love it. It gives me a chance to work with my hands. There are a lot of things I can use in the real world. I can apply it in the job and use the skills I have,” Esson said.