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Raymore-Peculiar School District is furthering its work-based learning education programs presenting plans for an Integrated Learning House.
"This is going to be a facility that is going to mimic what a home or an apartment will feel like. How to make your bed every day, do your laundry every day, doing dishes. All of those general things we take for granted on an everyday basis," said Ruth Johnson, president of the Raymore-Peculiar Board of Education.
The project will offer special education students to immerse themselves in day-to-day tasks experienced in life after high school. It will offer courses in basic meal preparation, setting a dining room table, maintaining a clean living space, basic home repair, interior design, budgeting, and farm-to-table cooking from an on-site garden.
"In recent years, we have really taken a look at education and what it needs to better serve our future society." Chief Academic Office Kristel Barr said. "These are real skills you aren't going to get from working on a stereotypical project in a classroom."
The Raymore-Peculiar Board of Education will hold an upcoming vote on the final plans for the project. Following the drafts final plans construction can begin with the help of community partners: HTK Architects, J.E. Dunn Construction, Henderson Engineers, and the Peculiar Charitable Foundation. HTK Architecture donated design work for the project.
J.E. Dunn Construction worked on various projects in the school district, including classroom efforts creating student engagement. It made a monetary donation to the project and is adopting responsibility for overseeing construction efforts.
"The integrated learning house is a great project, it will offer students a ton of life learning skills not only now, but in life after school," said Jeremy Baum, an education market leader at J.E. Dunn Construction. "The whole premise of this project is to have students engage in the build of this project. We didn't want to take that away from the students. We thought it was best to provide a monetary donation."
J.E. Dunn will work with Ray-Pec's trade education departments ensuring students have the opportunity to gain work experience.
"Any way we can engage with students and show them there is a rewarding career for them in construction after high school, we're all on board for providing that knowledge."
Work-based learning programs are found in school districts across the Metro area. Raymore-Peculiar says it's taking a new approach to inclusion.
"We feel the integration of regular education and special education students need to be working side by side... Students with disabilities feeling more empowered and being heard." Barr said. "It also fuels the soul of our regular education students seeing the capabilities of our special education population. There is magic in that and a lot of those populations are segregated. Our goal is to continue immersing those together, it's good for both sides."
Students won't reside in the two-bedroom, 1,800 square foot fully functional home.
Construction is expected to begin immediately upon final review of the plans from the school board. Project completion is expected in fall 2025.
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